The U.S. Supreme Court Should Do Its Job and Rule for Marriage Equality

Last week the U.S. Supreme Court (finally) announced that it will hear marriage equality cases from Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky. Unlike four previous successful appeals court decisions, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against marriage equality and in favor of discrimination.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in April and decide two questions by the end of June: 1) if same-sex couples must be allowed to marry no matter where they live; and 2) whether states must recognize legal marriages of same-sex couples performed in other states.

It is past time for the U.S. Supreme Court to do its job and rule on marriage equality. Our country has adopted a patchwork of state laws about marriage equality since 2004 – some states allowing same-sex couples to marry; some states recognizing legal marriages performed in other states; some states banning it altogether – and the confusion over what benefits married same-sex couples can receive depending on where they live. Currently, same-sex couples can marry in 36 states and the District of Columbia; same-sex marriage is banned or appeals are pending in the other 14.

Image courtesy of Freedom to Marry (www.freedomtomarry.org).
Image courtesy of Freedom to Marry (www.freedomtomarry.org).

It is the job of the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve disagreement over constitutional issues. The U.S. Supreme Court has stated that marriage is a fundamental right of all individuals – they’ve said it 14 times. And the U.S. Constitution guarantees equal treatment. It is time for the Court to apply these principles and decide that same-sex couples have the right to marry in every state.

Some have said that the states should be able to decide – however they should not be allowed to decide to deny what is a constitutionally-protected, fundamental right. And some have said that it’s best if we let voters decide in ballot measures. This process may work for some issues, but it should not be used to determine if fundamental rights can be denied to a minority – that’s the job of the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court has the opportunity to do the right thing, and we hope they will.

3 responses to “The U.S. Supreme Court Should Do Its Job and Rule for Marriage Equality

  1. The republican party is a wart on humanity.
    THEY have ALWAYS been on the wrong side of HIS tory.
    They have no businessbeing in government at all.
    U.S. is a progressive society, and these fools are trying to drag us backward into primitive thought times.
    low lifes, all of them .

  2. Indeed they are EVIL. they want to help Billionaires (emphasis on the B, because even those who I know are plain millionaires are getting fed up and no longer support the GOP…they see right through the BS) and large corporations at everyone else’s expense. They do not benefit the poor or the middle class, yet people are bamboozled into falling for their Billionaire loving greed and selfishness

  3. The idea that the Supreme court has not already justified same-sex marriage nationally as legal is absurd in this changing society. From a sociological matter, the people since the beginning of man have designated the difference between man and woman. A child knows not of the difference until associations with “boy” and “bue” or “girl” and “pink” are presented in front of them. Although simplistic, this is the stereotype or nation has placed on marriage. “Man and Woman” with “marriage”. This association is being placed on us by our “free” nation and it NEEDS to dissolve it immediately. As soon as we can nationally declare marriage as “the union of two people” the sooner all can carry on. Its becoming a dispute between states that is incredibly unnecessary. The only difference between a marriage between a man and woman vs. two men or two women is a scientific difference of reproductive anatomy. That same-sex marriage wont influence you, scar you, touch you, make you, break you- it simply is. Carrying on will not be a problem if the Supreme court can realize this difference and declare same sex marriage is as legal as any other marriage. At that moment, we can direct our attention to subjects that deserve a true confrontation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.