WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) voted to pass the Respect for Marriage Actto enshrine marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples, repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and provide additional legal protections for marriage equality.

“As millions learned of the Supreme Court’s destructive Dobbs decision to strip reproductive healthcare rights, we also read glimpses of what the conservative justices could act on next. Just as I voted to protect women’s healthcare rights, I am proud to take action in Congress to protect the right to marry who you love,” said Congressman Kim. “We cannot allow marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples to be threatened. Congress must act swiftly to defend fairness, protect individual freedoms, and push back against discrimination and bigotry in all forms.”

In a concurring opinion in the Dobbs case, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly called on the Supreme Court to reconsider its decisions protecting other fundamental rights, including the right to same-sex marriage recognized in the Obergefell decision. Although Justice Thomas did not mention the Loving decision and the right to interracial marriage, that right relies on the same constitutional doctrines as the right to same-sex marriage, and therefore, could be vulnerable to a legal challenge.   

DOMA was signed into law in 1996, but it’s provision defining “marriage” and “spouse” to refer to opposite sex couples was overturned by the Windsor decision in 2013. The Respect for Marriage Act would fully repeal DOMA alongside enshrining protections for same-sex couples.

Congressman Kim is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Committee on Small Business. More information about Congressman Kim can be found on his website by clicking here.

Original source found here.