Republican senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Saturday that the Supreme Court was “clearly wrong” to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in 2015.
“I think that decision was clearly wrong when it was decided,” Cruz said on his podcast, “Verdict With Ted Cruz. “It was the court overreaching.”
In June, the Supreme Court voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.
“Obergefell, like Roe v. Wade, ignored two centuries of our nation’s history. Marriage was always an issue that was left to the states. We saw states before Obergefell, some states were moving to allow gay marriage, other states were moving to allow civil partnerships. There were different standards that the states were adopting,” Cruz continued.
Cruz is eyeing a presidential run. This would likely see him going head-to-head with former President Donald Trump, who has vowed to run again in 2024.
“The way the Constitution set up for you to advance that position is convince your fellow citizens, that if you succeeded in convincing your fellow citizens, then your state would change the laws to reflect those views. In Obergefell, the court said, ‘No, we know better than you guys do, and now every state must, must sanction and permit gay marriage.”
The Democratic majority in Congress is gearing up to launch a string of votes this week, including a vote to legalize access to abortion and a vote to keep same-sex marriage legal.
This week, a vote is scheduled on the Respect for Marriage Act, which amends the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996. The Respect for Marriage Act would annul DOMA, the 1996 law defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
