Sen. Chuck Schumer voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Dems who backed DOMA laud its end

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act “a great, historic day for equality in America.”

He went on: “The idea that allowing two loving, committed people to marry would have a negative impact on anyone else, or on our nation as a whole, has always struck me as absurd.”


Pretty strong words from a guy who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act.

( PHOTOS: 21 landmark SCOTUS rulings)

But Reid isn’t the only one. There was a long line of prominent Democrats Wednesday who all queued up to applaud the Supreme Court for striking down DOMA — even though they voted for it when it passed in 1996.

Even Bill Clinton — who signed the bill into law — heralded the court’s decision.

“By overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, the Court recognized that discrimination towards any group holds us all back in our efforts to form a more perfect union,” Clinton said in a statement also signed by Hillary Clinton.

Virtually all of the Democrats say, “move on, nothing to see here” — they dropped their support for DOMA years ago. But the Supreme Court ruling allowed them to blast their words of praise to the world without a hint of regret over DOMA — or even an acknowledgment that they had any role in making it the law of the land.

( Also on POLITICO: SCOTUS gay marriage rulings reshape landscape)

Like Sen. Chuck Schumer, who declared that “the Supreme Court did the right thing here and helps us understand that the march to equality in America is unstoppable.” He voted for DOMA as a House member in 1996.

So did Sen. Dick Durbin, who said the ruling “reaffirmed a founding principle of our nation: equal justice under the law.”

And what about Patrick Leahy, who was ready to put the immigration bill at risk over an amendment to let same-sex couples sponsor immigrant spouses to get their green cards — and who declared that the ruling “confirms my belief that the Constitution protects the rights of all Americans”?

He voted for DOMA in the Senate, too.

They’ve got plenty of company in the club. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer cheered on the Supreme Court even though he voted for DOMA. So did Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who’s rarely, if ever, accused of being a moderate Democrat. And so did Sens. Ben Cardin and Robert Menendez, both of whom were in the House when they voted for the law.

( PHOTOS: Dems who haven’t endorsed gay marriage)

Their changes of heart were the latest example of how thoroughly the politics of same-sex marriage have turned around for Democrats since President Barack Obama announced his support for it in May 2012. It’s not that these Democrats voted for the law themselves, of course — they had plenty of other Democrats on their side, as well as the wall-t0-wall support of the Republicans who were in Congress at the time.

Follow @politico

The difference, though, is that no Republicans on Wednesday were cheering the death of the law they had supported.

In most cases, these Democrats could point to a moment years ago where they had announced their reversal on DOMA — although they’re mostly within the last couple of years, for a law that’s more than 15 years old.

Schumer came out against the law earlier than most. Spokesman Matt House noted that Schumer endorsed same-sex marriage and dropped his support for DOMA in March 2009, long before Obama declared his support for same-sex marriage.

Sen. Patty Murray, another Democratic leader who voted for DOMA, turned against the law in a February 2011 speech in Seattle, according to spokeswoman Meghan Roh. The speech took place right after Obama ordered the Justice Department to stop defending DOMA.

Some of them gave more thorough explanations than others. Schumer, at the time, declared: “It’s time. Equality is something that has always been a hallmark of America and no group should be deprived of it.” Murray, however, said only that “I support and applaud the President’s decision because it’s time to end this 14 year old policy.”

And Leahy’s aides note that he co-sponsored a bill to repeal DOMA in 2011, and pointed to a statement he gave at the Judiciary Committee markup in November 2011, when the Vermont senator cited his state’s approval of same-sex marriage and its longtime support for the rights of same-sex couples.

“In the 15 years since the passage of DOMA, I have listened to Vermonters and understand why these highly personal freedoms and protections are so important and so desperately needed,” Leahy said at the markup.

Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson said the Senate majority leader had “talked about this issue a fair amount” and noted that he had filed an amicus brief supporting the repeal of DOMA.

The first time Reid specifically said he believes gay people should be allowed to get married, though, was in May 2012, right after Obama said it.

One lawmaker who did acknowledge his past support of DOMA was Menendez, who explained in a Star-Ledger op-ed in December 2011 that he had “reflected deeply and frequently about this issue” and talked with many people about same-sex marriage since his vote for the law.

“For me, this comes down to an issue of fundamental fairness. For me, this comes down to the principles I learned as the child of immigrants and that I cherish as an American: that we believe in equality for all people under the law,” Menendez wrote.