One Maryland politician is willing to jeopardize his own political career to end Attorney General Doug Gansler’s.
Republican Don Dwyer said he plans on moving to impeach Gansler over his opinion on recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages. The Maryland General Assembly’s counsel said the House of Delegates doesn’t have the jurisdiction to impeach an attorney general; that means Dwyer’s efforts could result in his own removal from the chamber. Dwyer said that’s fine with him.
Gansler declared last month that Maryland will recognize gay marriages performed elsewhere in the country. His 50-page opinion states that a marriage that is valid in the place of celebration remains valid in Maryland.
Gansler’s decision does not actually change the law, and he has said that he expects the state’s highest court to offer a final verdict on the marriages.
As for Dwyer, he thinks his case is legally sound.
“I am going to impeach him. I have the authority,” he told the Maryland Gazette. “It is beyond belief that the attorney general himself would declare he is impeachable.”
