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Today, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid along with Respect for Marriage Act co-sponsors Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced the filing of an amicus brief in the marriage equality cases that are on appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
The four cases from Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and Kentucky challenge state laws that prohibit same-sex couples from marrying and deny recognition to lawful marriages performed by other states. The Supreme Court will decide whether the Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the freedom to marry and to have their marriages respected nationwide.
“State marriage bans apply across the board, limiting the right to marry and stay married when crossing state lines and preventing same-sex couples and their children from qualifying for a vast array of marriage-based state and federal rights and responsibilities,” Congressman Nadler said. “These laws impose countless burdens and indignities on gay and lesbian couples and their children. And they serve no legitimate governmental purpose. We firmly believe that everyone should enjoy the same right to marry the person that they love and urge the Court to make the Constitution’s promise of equality a reality for gay and lesbian couples throughout the nation.”
“Today, under federal law, many LGBT Americans still live in states that do not recognize their right to marry,” Leader Pelosi said. “Loving same-sex couples and their families deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality under the law. Now is the time for the Supreme Court to affirm that every American has the right to marry the person they love.”
“I’m proud to stand with loving and committed same-sex couples throughout America demanding recognition, respect and equal protection under the law,” said Senator Reid. “Gay and lesbian couples have waited for far too long for the simple dignity of enjoying the same constitutional rights as their straight peers. I hope the Supreme Court will right this historical wrong.”
“Although the Supreme Court in 2013 ruled that a key portion of DOMA was unconstitutional, state bans on the marriages of same-sex couples still prevent equality under the law," said Senator Feinstein. “With a favorable ruling, the Supreme Court could ensure once-and-for-all that legal marriage is available to loving, committed couples, regardless of sexual orientation. This would be a huge step toward equality in our nation.”
Including Leaders Pelosi and Reid, Congressman Nadler and Senator Feinstein, a total of 167 Members of the House and 44 Members of the Senate signed on to the brief, including Congressmen Conyers, Hoyer, and Clyburn and Senators Leahy, Durbin, Schumer, Murray and the LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chairs Jared Polis (D-CO), David Cicilline (D-RI), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Mark Takano (D-CA), as well as Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
Full text of amicus brief
Full list of signatories
United States Senators
Tammy Baldwin
Michael F. Bennet
Richard Blumenthal
Cory Booker
Barbara Boxer
Sherrod Brown
Maria Cantwell
Benjamin L. Cardin
Thomas R. Carper
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Christopher Coons
Joe Donnelly
Richard J. Durbin
Dianne Feinstein
Al Franken
Kirsten Gillibrand
Martin Heinrich
Heidi Heitkamp
Mazie K. Hirono
Tim Kaine
Angus S. King, Jr.
Amy Klobuchar
Patrick Leahy
Edward J. Markey
Claire McCaskill
Robert Menendez
Jeff Merkley
Barbara A. Mikulski
Christopher S. Murphy
Patty Murray
Bill Nelson
Gary Peters
Jack Reed
Harry Reid
Bernard Sanders
Brian Schatz
Charles E. Schumer
Jeanne Shaheen
Debbie Stabenow
Jon Tester
Mark R. Warner
Elizabeth Warren
Sheldon Whitehouse
Ron Wyden
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives
Alma S. Adams
Pete Aguilar
Brad Ashford
Karen Bass
Joyce Beatty
Xavier Becerra
Ami Bera
Donald S. Beyer Jr.
Earl Blumenauer
Suzanne Bonamici
Brendan F. Boyle
Robert A. Brady
Julia Brownley
Cheri Bustos
Lois Capps
Michael E. Capuano
Tony Cárdenas
John C. Carney, Jr.
André Carson
Matt Cartwright
Kathy Castor
Joaquin Castro
Judy Chu
David N. Cicilline
Katherine M. Clark
Yvette D. Clarke
James E. Clyburn
Steve Cohen
Gerald E. Connolly
John Conyers, Jr.
Jim Cooper
Joe Courtney
Joseph Crowley
Elijah E. Cummings
Danny K. Davis
Susan A. Davis
Peter A. DeFazio
Diana DeGette
John K. Delaney
Rosa L. DeLauro
Suzan K. DelBene
Mark DeSaulnier
Theodore E. Deutch
Debbie Dingell
Lloyd Doggett
Michael F. Doyle
Tammy Duckworth
Donna F. Edwards
Keith Ellison
Eliot L. Engel
Anna G. Eshoo
Elizabeth H. Esty
Sam Farr
Chaka Fattah
Bill Foster
Lois Frankel
Marcia L. Fudge
Tulsi Gabbard
Ruben Gallego
John Garamendi
Alan Grayson
Al Green
Raúl M. Grijalva
Luis V. Gutiérrez
Janice Hahn
Alcee L. Hastings
Denny Heck
Brian Higgins
James A. Himes
Michael M. Honda
Steny H. Hoyer
Jared Huffman
Steve Israel
Sheila Jackson Lee
Hakeem S. Jeffries
Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr.
Marcy Kaptur
Robin L. Kelly
Joseph P. Kennedy
Dan Kildee
Derek Kilmer
Ron Kind
Ann Kirkpatrick
Ann McLane Kuster
James R. Langevin
John B. Larson
Brenda L. Lawrence
Barbara Lee
Sander M. Levin
John Lewis
Ted Lieu
Dave Loebsack
Zoe Lofgren
Alan S. Lowenthal
Nita M. Lowey
Ben Ray Luján
Michelle Lujan Grisham
Stephen F. Lynch
Carolyn B. Maloney
Sean Patrick Maloney
Doris O. Matsui
Betty McCollum
Jim McDermott
James P. McGovern
Jerry McNerney
Gregory W. Meeks
Grace Meng
Gwen Moore
Seth Moulton
Patrick E. Murphy
Jerrold Nadler
Grace F. Napolitano
Richard E. Neal
Richard M. Nolan
Donald Norcross
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Beto O’Rourke
Frank Pallone, Jr.
Bill Pascrell, Jr.
Donald M. Payne, Jr.
Nancy Pelosi
Ed Perlmutter
Scott H. Peters
Chellie Pingree
Mark Pocan
Jared Polis
David E. Price
Mike Quigley
Charles B. Rangel
Kathleen M. Rice
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Raul Ruiz
C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger
Bobby L. Rush
Tim Ryan
Linda T. Sánchez
Loretta Sanchez
John P. Sarbanes
Janice D. Schakowsky
Adam B. Schiff
Robert C. “Bobby” Scott
José E. Serrano
Brad Sherman
Kyrsten Sinema
Albio Sires
Louise McIntosh Slaughter
Adam Smith
Jackie Speier
Eric Swalwell
Mark Takai
Mark Takano
Mike Thompson
Dina Titus
Paul Tonko
Norma J. Torres
Niki Tsongas
Chris Van Hollen
Juan Vargas
Marc A. Veasey
Nydia M. Velázquez
Timothy J. Walz
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Maxine Waters
Bonnie Watson Coleman
Peter Welch
Frederica S. Wilson
John A. Yarmuth
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