U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to Same-Sex Marriage - Senate safeguards same-sex marriage as Supreme Court threat looms
The US Senate, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, recently passed a bill to protect same-sex marriage. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote. This comes amidst growing concerns that the right to same-sex marriage could be at risk, following the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn federal abortion rights.
In 2015, the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional right of same-sex couples to marry. However, in 2022, a county clerk from Kentucky refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, defying this ruling. The clerk, Kim Davis, was later ordered to pay damages to a gay couple, David Moore and David Ermold, whom she had denied a license.
Congress responded to the growing uncertainty by passing a law in December 2022, during President Joe Biden's term, to protect same-sex marriage. The law, passed with a Democratic majority in the House, requires all states to recognize marriages legally performed in other states. However, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging same-sex marriage, leaving the law's future uncertain. Davis, undeterred, filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court to overturn the right to same-sex marriage.
The Senate's vote to protect same-sex marriage is a significant step forward. However, with the Supreme Court's recent actions and the ongoing lawsuit, the future of this right remains uncertain. All eyes are now on the Court, which requires at least four votes to consider a case, to see if it will take up the challenge to same-sex marriage.
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