Obama: Supreme Court Gay Marriage Ruling Righted A Wrong

Boehner "disappointed."

  • Share
  • Read Later

President Barack Obama applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional Wednesday, saying the “country is better off,” after the high court’s ruling.

“The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free,” Obama said in an impassioned statement.

As he flies to Africa for a week, Obama said he has directed Attorney General Eric Holder to begin efforts to implement the ruling, which requires that the federal government recognize valid same-sex marriages.

“I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly,” Obama said.

According to press secretary Jay Carney, Obama called DOMA plaintiff Edie Windsor after learning of the decision by telephone when Air Force One briefly lost Internet service. He also called plaintiffs in the separate Proposition 8 case, which resulted in the return of same-sex marriage to California as the Supreme Court ruled that supporters of the proposition did not have proper standing to fight to uphold the ban in federal court. Obama told the plaintiffs, “We’re proud of you guys,” in a moment caught on live television.

Speaker of the House John Boehner, who appropriated funds from the House of Representatives to defend DOMA after the Obama administration declined to defend it, said he was disappointed by the Court’s decision.

“Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis and President Clinton signed it into law,” Boehner said in a statement. “The House intervened in this case because the constitutionality of a law should be judged by the Court, not by the president unilaterally. While I am obviously disappointed in the ruling, it is always critical that we protect our system of checks and balances. A robust national debate over marriage will continue in the public square, and it is my hope that states will define marriage as the union between one man and one woman.”

Obama’s full statement is below:

I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it. We are a people who declared that we are all created equal – and the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law; for children whose parents’ marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last, will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.

So we welcome today’s decision, and I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.

On an issue as sensitive as this, knowing that Americans hold a wide range of views based on deeply held beliefs, maintaining our nation’s commitment to religious freedom is also vital. How religious institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those institutions. Nothing about this decision – which applies only to civil marriages – changes that.

The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.

President Barack Obama applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional Wednesday, saying the “country is better off,” after the high court’s ruling.

“The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free,” Obama said in an impassioned statement.

As he flies to Africa for a week, Obama said he has directed Attorney General Eric Holder to begin efforts to implement the ruling, which requires that the federal government recognize valid same-sex marriages.

“I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly,” Obama said.

According to press secretary Jay Carney, Obama called DOMA plaintiff Edie Windsor after learning of the decision by telephone when Air Force One briefly lost Internet service. He also called plaintiffs in the separate Proposition 8 case, which resulted in the return of same-sex marriage to California as the Supreme Court ruled that supporters of the proposition did not have proper standing to fight to uphold the ban in federal court. Obama told the plaintiffs, “We’re proud of you guys,” in a moment caught on live television.

Speaker of the House John Boehner, who appropriated funds from the House of Representatives to defend DOMA after the Obama administration declined to defend it, said he was disappointed by the Court’s decision.

“Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis and President Clinton signed it into law,” Boehner said in a statement. “The House intervened in this case because the constitutionality of a law should be judged by the Court, not by the president unilaterally. While I am obviously disappointed in the ruling, it is always critical that we protect our system of checks and balances. A robust national debate over marriage will continue in the public square, and it is my hope that states will define marriage as the union between one man and one woman.”

Obama’s full statement is below:

I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it. We are a people who declared that we are all created equal – and the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law; for children whose parents’ marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last, will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.

So we welcome today’s decision, and I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.

On an issue as sensitive as this, knowing that Americans hold a wide range of views based on deeply held beliefs, maintaining our nation’s commitment to religious freedom is also vital. How religious institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those institutions. Nothing about this decision – which applies only to civil marriages – changes that.

The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.