A self-described pastor who tried to drown out President Obama’s second inauguration with shouting has pleaded guilty to trying to drown out the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling with shouting. He faces up to one year in prison. That will probably not deter him from future shouting.


Rives Miller Grogan, 50, previously from California, now living in Mansfield, Texas, was arrested on April 28 after trying to interrupt oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, the case where SCOTUS ultimately ruled that the states have to recognize same-sex marriage. Grogan was dragged out of the Supreme Court chambers after yelling gay marriage supporters will “burn in hell for eternity” according to the Bible. Courthouse News reported Tuesday that Grogan has accepted a plea bargain, pleading guilty to “picketing or parading in violation of federal law.”

Grogan has been arrested five times since 2009 for similar demonstrations, according to the Washington Post. His last highly publicized run-in with the law was in 2013, when he climbed 40 feet up a tree and tried very hard to shout over President Obama’s inaugural address. After that one, he was handed a restraining order that temporarily banned him from the whole of DC. RH Reality Check notes that Grogan is also an anti-abortion activist who once ran on the field during the World Series with a sign that read “ABORTION IS SIN” and “Vote Romney/Ryan” on its reverse side. Photos and video of his stunts show that he likes to demonstrate bare-chested underneath an open jacket.


On Grogan’s highly informative Twitter page, you can learn his stances on various issues, namely that abortion is bad, gay marriage is bad, and God is real upset.

Grogan faces possible fines and up to 12 months in prison; he will be sentenced December 10.

Contact the author at anna.merlan@jezebel.com .

Public PGP key

PGP fingerprint: 67B5 5767 9D6F 652E 8EFD 76F5 3CF0 DAF2 79E5 1FB6

Advertisement