Cruz: SCOTUS rulings cause one of 'darkest' periods in US history

After the Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage and ruling in favor of Obamacare, Senator Ted Cruz said, "Today -- it's some of the darkest 24 hours in our nation's history. Yesterday and today were both naked and shameless judicial activism." less After the Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage and ruling in favor of Obamacare, Senator Ted Cruz said, "Today -- it's some of the darkest 24 hours in our nation's history. Yesterday and today were ... more Photo: Charlie Neibergall, STF Photo: Charlie Neibergall, STF Image 1 of / 80 Caption Close Cruz: SCOTUS rulings cause one of 'darkest' periods in US history 1 / 80 Back to Gallery

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said Friday that Supreme Court rulings upholding the Affordable Care Act and legalizing same-sex marriage made for one of the "darkest" periods in American history.

"Today -- it's some of the darkest 24 hours in our nation's history," Cruz said in an afternoon interview on Sean Hannity's radio program, adding that "yesterday and today were both naked and shameless judicial activism."

"It is lawless and in doing so, they have undermined the fundamental legitimacy of the United States Supreme Court," Cruz said of the 6-3 decision upholding President Obama's signature health care law and the 5-4 ruling finding gay marriage bans unconstitutional.

Cruz, a first-term Republican who is running for president, said earlier in the afternoon during a campaign event in Iowa that the rulings had "nothing to do with the Constitution."

That type of rhetoric was common among GOP presidential hopefuls and other Republicans on Friday. The "darkest 24 hours" comment seemed to go further, however.

Democrats immediately criticized the remark, naming other notable dark times such as September 11, 2001 and the day Pearl Harbor was attacked.