Perry takes aim at both the decision and the federal government. Perry: 'We will continue to fight'

Texas Gov. Rick Perry criticized the ruling made Wednesday by a federal judge in his state striking down the ban on same-sex marriage.

“This is yet another attempt to achieve via the courts what couldn’t be achieved at the ballot box,” the Republican governor said in a statement. “We will continue to fight for the rights of Texans to self-determine the laws of our state.”


The state’s ban on same-sex marriage was deemed unconstitutional by Judge Orlando Garcia, who will continue to allow the ban to be enforced, pending an appeal. The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by two gay couples challenging a constitutional amendment and law, according to the Associated Press.

Perry took aim at both the decision and the federal government.

“Texans spoke loud and clear by overwhelmingly voting to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman in our Constitution, and it is not the role of the federal government to overturn the will of our citizens,” Perry said.