Politicians begin to weigh in on the supreme court’s ruling in Obergefell v Hodges, with Republicans notably expressing far more divisive opinions

Gay marriage declared legal across the US in historic supreme court ruling Read more

“Love is love,” declared Barack Obama, in the aftermath of the supreme court’s landmark decision on gay marriage on Friday.

In a speech in the White House Rose Garden, the president warmly embraced the court’s 5-4 decision in Obergefell v Hodges as a step towards making “our union a little more perfect”. He described the ruling as “a victory for America”.

“This ruling is a victory for Jim Obergefell and the other plaintiffs in the case,” he said. “It’s a victory for gay and lesbian couples who have fought so long for their basic civil rights. It’s a victory for their children, whose families will now be recognized as equal to any other. It’s a victory for the allies and friends and supporters who spent years, even decades, working and praying for change to come.

“And this ruling is a victory for America. This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal we are all more free.”



Obama referenced proudly the work of activists who he said had labored for “years, even decades” in the fight for marriage equality, and said the decision was “a vindication of the belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The White House released this image, of the building colored like the rainbow flag, on Facebook following the supreme court’s ruling. Photograph: Facebook

He also praised the court for reaffirming “that all Americans are entitled to the equal protection of the law. That all people should be treated equally, regardless of who they are or who they love”.

Obama noted that “progress often comes in small increments, two steps forward and one step back”, but celebrated the court’s decision as a reminder that sometimes “justice arrives like a thunderbolt”. He praised the decision as “an extraordinary achievement” and referenced a statement made by Robert F Kennedy.

“What an extraordinary achievement,” he said. “What a vindication of the belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. What a reminder of what Bobby Kennedy once said about how small actions can be like pebbles being thrown into a still lake, and ripples of hope cascade outwards and change the world.”

Obama’s powerful statement came as a little surprise. The president publicly endorsed same-sex marriage in 2012 and referenced the push for gay marriage in his second inaugural speech. Almost in lockstep, leading Democrats echoed his words.



Among presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton said in a statement: “I am celebrating today’s landmark victory for marriage equality.” Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley proclaimed that the “supreme court affirmed that marriage is a human right – not a state right … the American dream is strongest when all are included”. And Vermont senator Bernie Sanders said: “Today the supreme court fulfilled the words engraved upon its building: ‘Equal justice under law.’”

The Democratic National Committee chair, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, used similar language to the president, saying “Love is love, and love is now the law”, while Senate minority leader Harry Reid celebrated the decision and said: “The supreme court ruled on the right side of history.”

In a particularly poignant statement, the Democratic New York congressman Sean Patrick Maloney said: “Last year, I celebrated this ruling in a personal way – by marrying my now-husband Randy after 22 years together, with whom I have raised three beautiful children. While the idea of marriage was once impossible in the eyes of the federal government, because of the supreme court’s action, our relationship was finally treated as equal under federal law.”

Maloney added: “These triumphs are not only for families like mine, but for millions of Americans who still face legal discrimination simply for who they are and who they love.”

Republicans expressed far more diverse opinions. Some were ready to accept the court’s decision. Ohio senator Rob Portman, a supporter of gay marriage, said: “I would have preferred for this issue to be resolved by the democratic process in the states because I think you build a more lasting consensus that way.” But he added: “Now the court has reached its decision, I hope we can move past the division and polarization the issue has caused.”

Some presidential candidates took similar tacks. Dr Ben Carson, who supports civil unions, said: “While I strongly disagree with the supreme court’s decision, their ruling is now the law of the land.”

South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham echoed Carson, saying: “I am a proud defender of traditional marriage and believe the people of each state should have the right to determine their marriage laws. However, the supreme court has ruled that state bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional, and I will respect the court’s decision.”

Graham expressed his opposition to the pursuit of a constitutional amendment to overturn the court’s decision, adding: “Furthermore, given the quickly changing tide of public opinion on this issue, I do not believe that an attempt to amend the US constitution could possibly gain the support of three-fourths of the states or a supermajority in the US Congress.”

Not all Republicans were so pragmatic. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee said: “The supreme court can no more repeal the laws of nature and nature’s God on marriage than it can the laws of gravity.

Huckabee went on to compare the court to King George III, saying: “I will not acquiesce to an imperial court any more than our founders acquiesced to an imperial British monarch. We must resist and reject judicial tyranny, not retreat.”

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker called for a constitutional amendment. In his opinion, “this supreme court decision is a grave mistake. Five unelected judges have taken it upon themselves to redefine the institution of marriage.”

Walker went on to argue: “The only alternative left for the American people is to support an amendment to the US constitution to reaffirm the ability of the states to continue to define marriage.”

On Capitol Hill, House majority whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana pointedly proclaimed that he agreed with Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent in the case. Scalia condemned what he said were the “unelected judges [who] took it upon themselves to rewrite the laws to their own personal liking”.