House Passes Bill To Protect Same-Sex Marriage Rights

Ted Johnson
·2 min read

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation that provides rights to same-sex marriage, following concerns that future Supreme Court decisions could roll back precedent.

The legislation passed 267-157, with all Democrats joined by 47 Republicans in support.

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The Respect for Marriage Act also would ensure rights to interracial marriage.

The bipartisan nature of the vote has given Senate sponsors hopes that the bill could clear the 60-vote threshold in that chamber, but it is unclear when or if it will make it to the floor.

After the Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade last month, Democrats have warned that other precedents are also in jeopardy, in part because Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurrence that past decisions on same-sex marriage and access to contraception should be reconsidered.

House leaders in the past week have set up a series of votes on access to abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage in an effort to highlight the court’s decision as extreme and out of step with public opinion. On Tuesday, 17 members of Congress, all Democrats, were arrested for blocking the street in front of the Supreme Court during a protect. ARep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) were among those detained.

“As radical Justices and right-wing politicians continue their assault on our basic rights, Democrats believe that the government has no place between you and the person you love,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a floor speech.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), who chairs the Equality Caucus, said that the legislation would “send a clear message to worried couples that the federal government will continue to recognize same-sex and interracial marriage, no matter what the future holds.”

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said that the legislation was unnecessary and said it was “the latest installment of the Democrats’ campaign to delegitimize, an attempt to intimidate the United States Supreme Court.”

The Supreme Court, in its 2015 decision in Obergefell V. Hodges, found that state laws banning same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. The court struck down bans on interracial marriages in 1967.

The Respect for Marriage Act repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, a law passed in 1996 that defined marriage as that between a man and a woman. It also requires states to recognize out of state marriages regardless of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.

Among the Republicans who voted for the bill were Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chair of the Republican conference, and Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), chair of the National Republican Campaign Committee. Also voting for the bill were Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), the two GOP members of the January 6th Committee.

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