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Pappas Applauds Signing of Respect For Marriage Act

December 13, 2022

Today President Biden signed into law legislation Pappas helped introduce and pass to ensure strong federal protections for marriage equality, even if the Supreme Court were to reverse the precedent set by United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Co-Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and New Hampshire's first openly gay member of Congress, issued the following statement after the Respect for Marriage Act was signed into law by President Biden. Pappas introduced this legislation alongside Congressman Nadler and his fellow Equality Caucus Co-Chairs in July 2022. 

“The signing of this legislation is a landmark moment not just for the LGBTQ+ community, but for all Americans, because its enactment brings us one step closer to our country’s founding promise of guaranteeing liberty and justice for all. The Obergefell decision extended marriage equality to all fifty states and the idea it could be overturned is unthinkable. But we know there are justices on the Supreme Court who want to reconsider that decision, and others that have protected rights rooted in the right to privacy, so the enactment of this legislation is critically important to ensure that no matter what the court does no family will have to worry the federal government will no longer recognize their union.”

“I am grateful to President Biden for signing this legislation into law today. Growing up I wondered as a member of the LGBTQ+ community whether I'd be able to have a full life and a family of my own. We've certainly come a long way on that front, and while work remains to be done to guarantee true equality for all, the signing of this legislation ensures we will not lose these hard-fought rights we all deserve.”

Specifically, the Respect for Marriage Act does the following:

  • Repeals DOMA. The Supreme Court effectively rendered DOMA inert with its landmark decisions in United States v. Windsor and Obergefell. This unconstitutional and discriminatory law, however, still officially remains on the books. The law repeals this statute once and for all.
  • Enshrines Marriage Equality for Federal Law Purposes. The law requires, for federal law purposes, that an individual be considered married if the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed. This gives same-sex and interracial couples additional certainty that they will continue to enjoy equal treatment under federal law as all other married couples - as the Constitution requires.
  • Provides Additional Legal Protections from Individuals Seeking to Undermine Marriage Equality While Acting Under Color of State Law. The law prohibits any person acting under color of state law from denying full faith and credit to an out-of-state marriage based on the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of the individuals in the marriage, provides the Attorney General with the authority to pursue enforcement actions, and creates a private right of action for any individual harmed by a violation of this provision.