The Respect for Marriage Act enshrines marriage equality in federal law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
19 July 2022
Contact: Kevin McGuire, 202-538-2386 (mobile)
Washington D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) voted to pass The Respect for Marriage Act, which will enshrine and protect marriage equality as fears grow that the conservative Supreme Court majority will come after other substantive rights after they overturned Roe and took away the federal right to an abortion. Almost 50 Republican Members joined all 220 House Democrats in voting for this bill-demonstrating the broad support for the protection of these rights.
“When the Supreme Court overturned Roe, Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion explicitly called for the Court to go after constitutional rights that Americans have relied upon and were believed to be settled law, including marriage equality. We can no longer count on this Supreme Court to defend important precedents and protect our fundamental rights,” said Rep. Barragán. “Congress must act, and the House did today. We owe it to families to defend their right to live their lives freely, love who they want to love, marry the person of their choosing, and prevent extreme Justices from taking it away. The Respect for Marriage Act will ensure same-sex marriages and interracial marriages are protected under federal law and continue to be recognized and respected. Forty-seven of my Republican colleagues voted with all Democratic House members today to pass this bill, which further demonstrates that a bipartisan majority of Americans support these protections against the extreme ideological minority. I urge my Senate colleagues to swiftly take up and pass the Respect for Marriage Act immediately to protect marriage equality.”
The Respect for Marriage Act would:
- Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which has been rendered inert by the Supreme Court in their United States v. Windsor and Obergefell decision,
- Enshrine marriage equality for federal law purpose, stating that an individual be considered married if the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed, giving same sex and interracial couples added certainty their marriage will enjoy equal treatment under the law,
- And provide additional legal protections by stating that any person under color of state law cannot deny full faith and credit to a marriage based on the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of individuals in the marriage, and provides the Attorney General with the authority to pursue enforcement actions and creates a private right of action for any individual harmed by a violation of this provision.
Full text of the bill can be found here.
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Nanette Diaz Barragán is proud to represent California’s 44th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Florence-Firestone, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, San Pedro, South Gate, Walnut Park, Watts, Willowbrook and Wilmington. She serves as chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Border Security, and on the House Energy and Commerce Health, Energy, and Environment & Climate Change Subcommittees.