It never pays to go against the gays.
Now Texas is learning how much the stubbornness of it's Attorney General will cost the taxpayers of the Lone Star State.
DeLeon and Holmes are both veterans; Phariss and Dimetman are attorneys. Both couples were together for more than a dozen years before they sued the state for the right to marry.
Dimetman and DeLeon had already married in Massachusetts but wanted Texas to recognize their union before the couple welcomed their second child. Their daughter was born as they waited for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to decide.
A federal appeals court decided this week to award the couples' attorneys $585,470.30 in fees and $20,202.90 in other costs.
The funds will come out of state coffers. The Office of the Attorney General led the charge against their effort. Spokesman Marc Rylander said the Office of Attorney General Ken Paxton was "disappointed in the ruling" and considering next steps.
"It's kind of a little bit sad that it was a waste of taxpayer dollars that could have gone to other things than to keep two people who love each other from getting married," Phariss added.
The money will go to the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, which has pledged to use the funds for future pro bono work. – dallasnews.com
What are your thoughts Instincters?
Should the money come from the tax payers?
Should states be sued and need to pay these fees?
Was that enough money or should there have been more?
h/t: dallasnews.com
There’s no place else for the
There's no place else for the money to come back from the taxpayers who elected those officials. The attorneys would not have been awarded the fees if they didn't show the billable hours and expenses