Same-Sex Marriage Bill Clears Congress, Heads to Biden’s Desk

December 8, 2022 by Dan McCue
Same-Sex Marriage Bill Clears Congress, Heads to Biden’s Desk
House Speaker Nanacy Pelosi, D-Calif., announces the final passage of a bill to protect same-sex marriage rights on the House floor on Thursday. (House Television via Associated Press)

WASHINGTON — The House gave its final approval on Thursday to legislation that provides federal recognition for same-sex marriages, sending it on to the president’s desk with strong bipartisan support.

Passage of the measure, known as the Respect for Marriage Act, was a major goal of House Democrats in the final days of their control of Congress. In the end the vote was 258-169, with one member voting “present.”

The bill received the support of 39 Republicans, though that was a drop off from the 47 Republicans who supported the measure in July.

In an op-ed published in The Washington Post Thursday morning, outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wrote that she was “overjoyed” that one of the final bills that she will sign as speaker will ensure the federal government “will never again stand in the way of marrying the person you love.”

The push to pass the legislation was part of the fallout from the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in which the court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and held the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.

In a concurrence to that ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the court reconsider a number of other cases, including its ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, in which the court said that same-sex couples are entitled to the same marriage protections as other couples.

In her op-ed, Pelosi said Thomas’ position, which she described as “twisted and unsound,” placed same-sex couples’ right to marry “under real, direct and urgent threat.”

“After the Obergefell decision was announced, Jim Obergefell declared to an ecstatic crowd outside the Supreme Court: ‘Today’s ruling from the Supreme Court affirms what millions across this country already know to be true in our hearts: Our love is equal,’” Pelosi wrote. 

“That is a truth that Democrats proudly honor this week as we carry on our mission to build a brighter, fairer future for generations to come.”

But Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, strongly disagreed, accusing Democrats of conjuring up an “unfounded fear” that the Supreme Court was on the brink of nullifying same-sex marriage rights.

He went on to say the legislation, which formally repeals the Defense of Marriage Act defining marriage as between a man and a woman and allowed states to refuse to honor same-sex marriages performed in other states, “takes the country in the wrong direction.”

While the outcome of Thursday’s vote in the House was a foregone conclusion, the chances of passing the measure in the Senate were far less certain this fall.

For weeks, it seemed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who whole-heartedly supported the measure, slow-walked it  to a vote to ensure he had the 10 Republican votes necessary in the chamber to advance it.

In the end, according to a report in The New York Times, a group of influential Republican donors and operatives banded together with the bill’s proponents in Congress for a coordinated, $1.7 million campaign to persuade GOP senators that throwing their support behind the measure would be to their advantage.

Even then, the legislation was revised to address concerns among some Republicans that it would punish or restrict the religious freedom of institutions that refuse to recognize same-sex marriages. 

That was the version of the bill the Senate passed last month with the support of a dozen Republicans, sending it back to the House for a second vote to approve the changes.

Among those commenting after Thursday’s vote was Rep, Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., a longtime supporter and co-sponsor of the bill.

“The Supreme Court’s rulings in Obergefell v. Hodges and Loving v. Virginia have allowed millions of Virginians and Americans across our country in same-sex and interracial couples to marry legally,” Spanberger said. “But the Dobbs decision cast a dark shadow over those rights.

“I’m proud that a bipartisan majority of my colleagues voted to pass these protections and send this legislation to the president’s desk to make sure that marriage equality remains the law of the land,” she said. 

“Enshrining into federal law the right of all Americans to marry the person they love demonstrates our commitment to protecting their constitutional rights.”

New Democrat Coalition Chair Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said “ Every American deserves the freedom to marry who they love. That’s why New Dems were proud to help pass the Respect for Marriage Act today to give same-sex and interracial couples the dignity, stability, and certainty they deserve. 

“Every American, no matter who they are or who they love, is entitled to equal protection under the law, and Democrats will continue working tirelessly to preserve every Americans’ fundamental freedoms,” she said.

“Every American deserves the same guaranteed federal protections no matter who they are or who they marry,” said House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C. “Today, we made our position clear: we will not allow unelected right-wing justices to strip Americans of their established right to love without fear.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • Congress
  • Nancy Pelosi
  • Respect for Marriage Act
  • same-sex marriage
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Civil Rights

    December 6, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Antisemitism at US Universities Takes Center Stage on Capitol Hill

    WASHINGTON — The four students, each from an elite university, stood pensively beneath Gilbert Stuart’s iconic life-size portrait of George... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The four students, each from an elite university, stood pensively beneath Gilbert Stuart’s iconic life-size portrait of George Washington, which hangs in the Rayburn room of the U.S. Capitol. Talia Khan, Bella Engberg, Eyal Yakoby and Jonathan Frieden all looked like they’d prefer to... Read More

    AP Exclusive: America's Black Attorneys General Talk Race, Politics and Justice System

    BOSTON (AP) — The American legal system is facing a crisis of trust in communities around the country, with people... Read More

    BOSTON (AP) — The American legal system is facing a crisis of trust in communities around the country, with people of all races and across the political spectrum. For many, recent protests against police brutality called attention to longstanding discrepancies in the administration of justice. For others, criticism... Read More

    November 14, 2023
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supporters of Israel Caution Against Rising Antisemitism

    WASHINGTON — A backlash against the antisemitism that erupted since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel showed itself during... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A backlash against the antisemitism that erupted since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel showed itself during a congressional hearing and a demonstration in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. During a House Education and the Workforce subcommittee hearing, lawmakers and witnesses described college campuses as... Read More

    Black Americans Express Concerns About Racist Depictions in News Media

    NEW YORK (AP) — In a new study, Black Americans expressed broad concerns about how they are depicted in the news... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — In a new study, Black Americans expressed broad concerns about how they are depicted in the news media, with majorities saying they see racist or negative depictions and a lack of effort to cover broad segments of their community. Four in five Black... Read More

    September 15, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Calif. AG Blasts School District for Adopting Mandatory ‘Outing’ Measure

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday blasted a suburban school district near the state capital for... Read More

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday blasted a suburban school district near the state capital for adopting a mandatory gender identity disclosure policy he contends will threaten the safety and well-being of transgender and other nonconforming students. The Dry Creek Joint Elementary... Read More

    September 8, 2023
    by Tom Ramstack
    Appeals Court Revives Psychologists’ Lawsuit After They Were Accused of Helping in Torture

    WASHINGTON — The Washington, D.C., Court of Appeals on Thursday revived a defamation lawsuit by retired military psychologists who claimed... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Washington, D.C., Court of Appeals on Thursday revived a defamation lawsuit by retired military psychologists who claimed they were inaccurately accused of encouraging torture during the U.S. war on terrorism. The ruling also represents a setback for local laws found nationwide intended to... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top