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Filename: A1-MAIN-AJCD0627-2TWO Date/Time created: Jun 26 2015 11:43:57:740PM Username: SPEEDDRIVER03 Saturday, Jun 27, 2015 MAIN 1A 2DOT 1A Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 1A Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 2DOT File name: A1-MAIN-AJCD0627-2TWO Date/Time created: Jun 26 2015 11:43:57:743PM Username: SPEEDDRIVER03 2DOT Rain High: 85, Low: 72 80% chance of rain Sunday: Sunny, 85/65 Monday: Sunny, 87/66 Details on the back of Sports SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2015 Classifieds E1 Comics D8 Obituaries B5 Puzzles D3 Television D2 The Vent B2 ©2015 AJC, VOL. 67, NO. 178 PRINTED WITH SOY INK ON RECYCLED PAPER By Marlon A.Walker [email protected] CHARLESTON, S.C. — President Barack Obama on Friday eulo- gized the pastor slain in a rac- ist massacre at a historically black South Carolina church, using a turn at the pulpit to deliver an impassioned call to action on race relations, then lifted an emotional crowd of mourners to their feet as he led a rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Obama remembered the Rev. Clementa Pinckney as “a good man.” “In the pulpit by 13, pas- tor by 18, public servant by 23. He set an example worthy of his position, wise beyond his years,” Obama said. “What a life Clementa Pinckney lived. What an ex- ample he set. What a model for his faith.” Mourners had begun lin- ing up before dawn to bid fare- well to Pinckney, 41. A beloved pastor and state senator, he was one of nine worshippers gunned down last week while they studied the Bible at Eman- uel AME Church in Charleston. The confessed shooter, Dylann Roof, has been charged with nine counts of murder. Roof, 21, told authorities he hoped to start a race war. Obama eulogy: Amazing Grace, race, guns, flag Emotional president leads mourners in song, addresses racial divide. Obama continued on A7 TRAGEDY IN CHARLESTON President Barack Obama said a gunman seeking to start a race war had instead united commu- nities. WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY IMAGES By Shelia M. Poole [email protected] and Daniel Malloy [email protected] A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same- sex marriage may have changed the law of the land, but it will do little to change the minds of people like the Rev. Jack Lee. “I’m disappointed that they ruled against what I be- lieve is the biblical princi- ple for marriage, which is one man and one woman,” said Lee, pastor of the 700- member Altamaha Baptist Church in Jesup. “As far as our church, we will stay the course of our convictions. Our higher authority is not the Supreme Court, but it is God.” In a 5-4 ruling, the court said states cannot ban same- sex marriage, a decision that was expected but not welcomed by some faith leaders and politicians. Religious bodies are not affected by the ruling and can decide on their own whether to perform same- sex marriages. In a way, opponents were swimming against a cultural tide. Opponents frustrated, cite Bible Opponents continued on A5 By Craig Schneider [email protected] The U.S. Supreme Court redefined the institution of marriage Friday to include same-sex couples, enshrining in law a monumental change that was unthinkable just a few decades ago. The deeply divided court ruled 5-4 that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, and that all 50 states must recognize the spousal rights of those who have already tied the knot. A watershed moment in American culture, the decision signifies an even more radical change here in Georgia. The state was one of 13 that dug in their heels in rejecting same-sex unions. New York, California and 35 other states had legalized gay marriage. Georgia voters banned it in 2004. That changed Friday, a day in which gay and lesbian advocates took to the streets in celebration. For them, Friday was a day of validation and vindication, filled with tears of joy and, in courthouses across metro Atlanta, hurried marriage vows. GAY MARRIAGES BEGIN Marriage continued on A6 Boyd Beckwith (left) and Jerry Hill, who have been together for 23 years, kiss after exchanging vows Friday. Their wedding occurred just hours after the Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriages in Georgia and across the nation. BEN GRAY / [email protected] MYAJC.COM INSIDE TODAY Our premium website has the full text of the ruling and the dissents, plus photo galleries and video from around Atlanta and the nation. » Couples in Georgia begin tying the knot, but concerns linger, A4 » Impact could reach beyond tangible, legal benefits, A5 » Georgians weigh in on the Supreme Court’s ruling, A6 Ga. had pushed for ban THE RULING » Justices vote 5-4 to legalize gay marriage across the United States. THE REACTION » Gay couples begin exchanging vows across metro Atlanta. THE OPPOSITION » Ministers decry moral decline; politicians vow the fight will continue. A crowd celebrates outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. Audrey Miles and Matt Bass joined Atlanta backers. Protesters demonstrated at the Supreme Court.
