The House Will Vote on the ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ in Response to Clarence Thomas
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday introduced legislation to officially repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and require federal recognition for same-sex and interracial marriages nationwide.
The measure’s introduction comes in response to an opinion by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas last month following the court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established the constitutional right to an abortion.
Thomas wrote that the court’s “substantive due process precedents” set in cases like Obergefell v. Hodges — which legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states — should be revisited, creating widespread uncertainty and panic among same-sex married couples over whether their unions will continue to be recognized.
