12 Senate Republicans Side With Dems on Same-Sex Marriage Bill
(TheRedWire.com) – In 1996, Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) into law. It defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman and permitted states to refuse to acknowledge same-sex marriages from another state. In Obergefell v. Hodges, the US Supreme Court ruled that the definition of marriage in the law violated the Due Process Clause in the Fifth Amendment, legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Here Are the 12 Senate Republicans Who Just Voted to Advance a Same-Sex Marriage Rights Bill https://t.co/S3m1hyJDL1
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) November 16, 2022
On Wednesday, November 16, the Senate voted 62 to 37 to end the debate and advance the Respect for Marriage Act, with 12 Republicans casting ballots with Democrats. The 12 GOP senators were:
Lisa A. Murkowski (R-AK)
Daniel Sullivan (R-AK)
Joni K. Ernst (R-IA)
Todd Christopher Young (R-IN)
Susan M. Collins (R-ME)
Roy Dean Blunt (R-MO)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Thomas Roland Tillis (R-NC)
Robert J. Portman (R-OH)
Mitt Romney (R-UT)
Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Cynthia Marie Lummis (R-WY)
In the Dobbs decision overturning Roe, Justice Thomas said the Court should reconsider the Obergfell opinion. As a result, Democrats moved to protect same-sex marriage. The new legislation would require all 50 states to recognize a same-sex union if it was valid in the state where it was performed. In addition, the bill repealed DOMA. So, if the Supreme Court overturned Obergefell, the Respect for Marriage Act would override a court opinion.
If the Senate passes the legislation as expected, President Joe Biden has indicated he will sign the bill into law.
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