Summary: U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn both voted against federal protection for gay and interracial marriage Tuesday, though the full Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support.
Latest Update: Monday, 05 December, 2022
The Texas Tribune, 29 November 2022, Excerpts
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn both voted against federal protection for gay and interracial marriage Tuesday, though the full Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support.
The Respect for Marriage Act would require states to recognize all legally performed marriages and would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriages for the purpose of federal benefits as between a man and a woman. It passed the upper chamber on a 61-36 vote, with 12 Republicans joining all Democrats in support.
The bill is largely a safeguard against potential action by the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, which made the Defense of Marriage Act unenforceable and enshrined the right to same-sex marriages across the country. But the bill does not go as far as codifying the landmark Supreme Court decision, which mandated states to perform same-sex marriages.
Cruz also rejected the idea that same-sex and interracial marriage was under threat in the first place. Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade over the summer, LGBTQ rights groups and Democrats pushed for federal legislation in case the high court overturns Obergefell v. Hodges. Conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in an opinion in the abortion case that appeared to open a challenge to the Obergefell decision.
Tuesday’s vote was largely procedural as the upper chamber secured enough supportive Republicans for the bill just before the Thanksgiving recess. During a technical vote that essentially sealed the bill’s fate earlier this month, 12 Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the bill. That vote required at least 60 votes — all 50 Democrats and 10 Republicans — for the bill to advance. Cruz and Cornyn voted to freeze the legislation at the time.
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