Washington, DC – Today, Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would protect interracial and same-sex marriage. This bipartisan legislation protects the right to marriage equality in federal law by repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and bolstering protections for married same-sex and interracial couples nationwide.
"I am proud to cosponsor and vote for this legislation that protects the fundamental right to marriage for all Americans, regardless of their race or sexual orientation," said Rep. Sherrill. "In Justice Thomas's concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson's Women's Health, he gave a preview of the rights the extremist Supreme Court and Washington Republicans will attack next. This bill protects millions of American families from future discriminatory action by the Supreme Court. I am committed to making sure that LGBTQ+ Americans and those in interracial marriages will continue to have the right to marriage, no matter where they live."
Following the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade, right-wing extremists have set their sights on other rulings upholding basic rights and freedoms. In his concurrence with that decision, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the Supreme Court should also examine previous rulings that legalized the right for married couples to buy contraception without government restriction (Griswold v. Connecticut), same-sex relationships (Lawrence v. Texas) and marriage equality (Obergefell v. Hodges).
The Respect for Marriage Act will enshrine marriage equality in federal law by repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 federal law restricting LGBTQ+ marriage, and expanding protections for interracial marriage, ensuring stability and certainty should the Supreme Court violate these fundamental rights. This bill now awaits a vote in the Senate.
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