Supreme Court Dismisses Ken Cuccinelli’s Sodomy Law Appeal

Conservative Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli experienced another setback for his campaign to become the state's governor when the U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it would not hear his appeal to restore Virginia's anti-sodomy law, reports Think Progress.

Cuccinelli had made the issue a central part of his campaign, falsely claiming Virginia's Crimes Against Nature law -- which made it a felony for even married couples to have consensual oral or anal sex in their homes -- now applied only to people who preyed on children.

Despite Cuccinelli's homophobic fearmongering, the Supreme Court announced Monday, its first day back in session, that it would not consider Cuccinelli's appeal to reinstate the law. In 2003, the court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that sodomy bans such as Virginia's are unconstitutional.

The smackdown is the latest in a string of disappointments for Cuccinelli. These have included defeats of his challenge to the Affordable Care Act and his attempt to block the regulation of greenhouse gases.

The downward spiral of Cuccinelli's campaign has been so severe, Rachel Maddow dedicated several minutes of her program Monday night to point out why ultraconservative candidates may want to reconsider their campaign strategy.

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