CLEVELAND — The Republican Party on Monday (July 18) adopted perhaps its most socially conservative platform ever, one that offers a harsh portrayal of homosexuality and a strong defence of the “natural” family unit. But in other places it takes a less traditionally conservative approach, such as a call for less rigid criminal statutes. It calls for a wall along the southern border and for English to be designated the country’s official language. It advocates opening up more public land to energy exploration. And it urges Congress to impeach more judges.

Here are some excerpts:

ON LEGALISING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
“Five unelected lawyers robbed 320 million Americans of their legitimate constitutional authority to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The Court twisted the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment beyond recognition. To echo Scalia, we dissent. We, therefore, support the appointment of justices and judges who respect the constitutional limits on their power and respect the authority of the states to decide such fundamental social questions.”

ON JUDGES AND THE SUPREME COURT

“We encourage Congress to use the check of impeachment for judges who unconstitutionally usurp Article 1 powers. In tandem with a Republican Senate, a new Republican president will restore to the (Supreme) Court a strong conservative majority that will follow the text and original meaning of the Constitution and our laws.”

“Only such appointments will enable courts to begin to reverse the long line of activist decisions — including Roe, Obergefell, and the Obamacare cases”

ON RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION IN PUBLIC LIFE

“We support the public display of the Ten Commandments as a reflection of our history and our country’s Judeo-Christian heritage and further affirm the rights of religious students to engage in voluntary prayer at public school events and to have equal access to school facilities.”

“We oppose government discrimination against businesses or entities which decline to sell items or services to individuals for activities that go against their religious views about such activities.”

ON TRADITIONAL VS MODERN FAMILIES

“The data and the facts lead to an inescapable conclusion: Every child deserves a married mum and dad. The reality remains that millions of American families do not have the advantages that come with that structure. We honour the courageous efforts of those who bear the burdens of parenting alone and embrace the principle that all Americans should be treated with dignity and respect. But respect is not enough. Our laws and our government’s regulations should recognise marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

ON ‘THERAPY’ FOR GAY MINORS

“We support the right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children.”

ON TRANSGENDER RIGHTS AND TITLE IX

“That same provision of law is now being used by bureaucrats — and by the current President of the United States — to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation or other categories.”

“Their edict to the states concerning restrooms, locker rooms, and other facilities is at once illegal, dangerous, and ignores privacy issues.”

ON ENERGY DEVELOPMENT

“The Democratic Party does not understand that coal is an abundant, clean, affordable, reliable domestic energy resource. Those who mine it and their families should be protected from the Democratic Party’s radical anti-coal agenda.”

ON IMMIGRATION

“We support building a wall along our southern border and protecting all ports of entry. The border wall must cover the entirety of the southern border and must be sufficient to stop both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.”

ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

“In the past, judicial discretion about sentences led to serious mistakes concerning dangerous criminals. Mandatory minimum sentencing became an important tool for keeping them off the streets. Modifications to it should be targetted toward particular categories, especially non-violent offenders and persons with drug, alcohol, or mental health issues, and should require disclosure by the courts of any judicial departure from the state’s sentencing requirements.” THE NEW YORK TIMES