Oklahoma Begins Issuing Marriage Licenses to Same-Sex Couples

“The people of Oklahoma have the right to determine how marriage is defined. In 2004, Oklahomans exercised that right, voting by a margin of 3-1 to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The will of the people has now been overridden by unelected federal justices, accountable to no one. That is both undemocratic and a violation of states’ rights. Rather than allowing states to make their own policies that reflect the values and views of their residents, federal judges have inserted themselves into a state issue to pursue their own agendas. Today’s decision has been cast by the media as a victory for gay rights. What has been ignored, however, is the right of Oklahomans – and Americans in every state – to write their own laws and govern themselves as they see fit. Those rights have once again been trampled by an arrogant, out-of -control federal government that wants to substitute Oklahoma values with Washington, D.C. values.”

“I am disappointed the Supreme Court chose not to grant a hearing of these cases. The states have long held primacy in determining what constitutes the definition of marriage. That is why the state, though not named in the lawsuit, filed ‘friend of the court’ briefs encouraging the Supreme Court to take up for review the case from Oklahoma. As recently as 2013, the Supreme Court in the Windsor case recognized that marriage is a state institution and that states in fact do have primacy in determining what constitutes the definition of marriage. That makes the decision today by the Supreme Court not to take up these cases for review even more troubling.”