Cornyn Statement on Defending Traditional Marriage

CORNYN STATEMENT ON DEFENDING TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE

Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Impact of Massachusetts Court Decision on States

WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee, made the following statement Tuesday regarding a Judiciary Committee hearing on traditional marriage laws and the states:

"Governor Romney speaks with authority on how activist judges have overruled elected representatives and the will of a people in his state. The attack on traditional marriage laws was thrust upon us by the size=3>Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court size=3>, and other states are now in danger of facing this same problem. So, this has clearly risen to the level of a federal issue. The idea that the states can maintain their democratically enacted traditional marriage laws, given the judicial effort to overturn them at the federal level, is quaint.

"There are currently three federal court cases around the country attempting to overturn traditional marriage, and scores more at the state court level. Nebraska's constitutional amendment defining marriage as between as a man and woman is in danger of being overturned by a federal court. size=3>Utah size=3>'s polygamy law has been challenged as unconstitutional under the federal Constitution. And in size=3>Florida, there is a lawsuit pending that claims the federal Defense of Marriage Act itself is unconstitutional.

"The only way to reverse this terrible trend, to ensure that the American people finally get their say, is through a federal constitutional amendment. I think when the American people get a chance to have their voices heard, they will overwhelmingly reaffirm their commitment to traditional marriage, just as a vast bipartisan majority of Congress did in 1996."

At Tuesday's hearing, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney testified on his state's situation. The hearing was titled "Preserving Traditional Marriage: A View from the States."