According to Republican Congressmen Steve King, the Obergefell Supreme Court Ruling implies that you’ll be able to marry a Lawnmower. He asserts this by citing the discussion he had with a lawyer versed in the matter, during which the Lawyer stated you no longer need two Individuals to get married, and this meant that you could marry your lawnmower.
I had a strong, Christian lawyer tell me yesterday that, under this decision that he has read, what it brings about is: It only requires one human being in this relationship—that you could marry your your lawnmower with this decision. I think he’s right.
– Rep. Steve King
Marriage has a special status associated with it, it comes with a lot of Rights and benefits like :
- Supplemental Security Income
- Property tax exemption for homes
- Income tax deductions, credits, rates exemption
- Tax-free transfer of property between spouses
- Court notice of probate proceedings
- Existing homestead lease continuation of rights
- Funeral and bereavement leave
- Joint adoption and foster care
- Joint filing of taxes
- Spousal privilege in court cases
- Right to change surname upon marriage
- Right to enter into prenuptial agreement
- Right to inheritance of property
What is interesting here is
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♦ Spousal privilege in court cases
The Supreme Court has recognized two types of spousal privileges:
1) Testimonial privilege: in criminal cases, one spouse may refuse to testify against his/her defendant spouse.
2) Communications privilege: in both criminal and civil cases, communications between spouses during the marriage are privileged.
This means that your spouse can’t be made to testify against you. This is the Fifth amendment’s protection for individuals from incriminating themselves extended to your spouse.
This means that an Individual who has married his Phone/PC can now use his spousal privilege to stop the authorities from using their device to incriminate themselves. This has one definite drawback, you can only marry one phone or person, unless the Obergefell Ruling also implies you can have one than one person in a marriage. So you can imagine a future in which individuals are married to a human partner his phone, his computer and more digital devices, as more and more devices start joining your household in the future.
Privacy and Digital Rights activists have been fighting for a long time for the fifth amendment guaranteed protection from self incrimination to be extended to a person’s phone, this means that an individual’s phone not be used to incriminate themselves. If Republican congressmen Steve King is right, this may be another way to achieve the same goal.