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Hatch Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act

Statement

Date: June 26, 2013
Issues: Marriage Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Legal

U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), current member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA):

"It's pretty hard to believe that the Supreme Court would say that the 85 Senators, 342 Members of the House of Representatives, and Democrat President Bill Clinton -- all who supported DOMA when it was signed into law nearly 20 years ago -- voted for DOMA literally seeking to injure and impose stigma on gay individuals. That may be the perception of five Justices, but it is simply not true. I've always felt that marriage was an issue best left up to each state, and that's essentially what the Court ruled today. But this ruling is a disappointment because instead of allowing the American people and their elected representatives to continue the debate about same-sex marriage, the Court instead used its own personal opinion to tip the balance."


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