Lawmakers React To Proposition 8 Ruling

Here’s a small smattering of opinions on yesterday’s Proposition 8 ruling in California from some on the left and some on the right:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): “I am extremely encouraged by the ruling today, which found that Proposition 8 violated both the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.  Proposition 8 has taken away individual rights and freedoms, and is a stain upon the California Constitution.
“We must continue to fight against discriminatory marriage amendments and work toward the day when all American families are treated equally.”

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.): “This historic decision is a step forward in the march toward equal rights and reflects a growing legal consensus that marriage equality is protected by the U.S. Constitution.”

(Via MSNBC) Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.): “It shows an attempt by judges or people considered the political elite to impose their social views on the American people without the opportunity to vote.”

(Via Politico) Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah): “I’m disappointed. I believe strongly in traditional marriage. Thirty times plus, it’s come up for a vote in states across the country and traditional marriage has always won. Just because one judge thought otherwise doesn’t mean the fight’s over. It’s not so much that I’m anti-gay, I’m pro-traditional marriage. I believe in traditional marriage. I’m not trying to take anything away from one thing or anything else. I just believe that commitment to traditional marriage is part of the American way. There’s 2,000 years of history behind it.”


(Via Politico) Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.): “I think that [Judge] Walker is wrong in this case. The people of California overwhelmingly voted almost two years ago in a ballot initiative to amend their state constitution and basically ban same-sex marriage by definition. What right does the federal court have to come in and say that this is unconstitutional from a federal perspective?”