Ted Cruz, John Cornyn voted against same-sex marriage bill in Senate

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn each voted against federal safety for homosexual and interracial marriage Tuesday, although the complete Senate handed the bill with bipartisan help.

The Respect for Marriage Act would require states to acknowledge all legally carried out marriages and would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which outlined marriages for the aim of federal advantages as between a person and a girl. It handed the higher chamber on a 61-36 vote, with 12 Republicans becoming a member of all Democrats in help.

The bill is essentially a safeguard against potential motion by the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, which made the Defense of Marriage Act unenforceable and enshrined the best to same-sex marriages throughout the nation. But the bill doesn’t go so far as codifying the landmark Supreme Court resolution, which mandated states to carry out same-sex marriages.

Texas had a ban on same-sex marriage earlier than the Obergefell resolution, and if the bill handed, the state Legislature might nonetheless refuse to problem same-sex marriage licenses if Obergefell will get overturned. But it must acknowledge marriages from different states.

The U.S. House passed its own version of the Respect for Marriage Act again in July, with all Texas Democrats and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, voting for the bill. The House must vote once more on the bill to approve the Senate’s amendments earlier than it goes to President Joe Biden’s desk, which could possibly be as quickly as this week.

Cruz and Cornyn objected to the bill, asserting that it infringed on spiritual liberty by opening a pathway to lawsuits against spiritual establishments that oppose same-sex marriage. But progressive activists mentioned the bill didn’t go far sufficient and had appreciable concessions for spiritual teams in order to safe Republican help.

The bill doesn’t require spiritual organizations to carry out same-sex marriages, and non secular teams’ tax standing won’t be impacted by what sorts of marriages they do or don’t officiate. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some of the fervent opponents of same-sex marriage laws in the previous, backed the Respect for Marriage Act, citing its protections for spiritual freedom.

Cruz additionally rejected the concept same-sex and interracial marriage was underneath menace in the primary place. Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade over the summer time, LGBTQ rights teams and Democrats pushed for federal laws in case the excessive court docket overturns Obergefell v. Hodges. Conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in an opinion in the abortion case that appeared to open a problem to the Obergefell resolution.

Tuesday’s vote was largely procedural because the higher chamber secured sufficient supportive Republicans for the bill simply earlier than the Thanksgiving recess. During a technical vote that basically sealed the bill’s destiny earlier this month, 12 Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the bill. That vote required a minimum of 60 votes — all 50 Democrats and 10 Republicans — for the bill to advance. Cruz and Cornyn voted to freeze the legislation on the time.