Texas Sen. John Cornyn: California gay marriage decision will spark push for national ban04:51 PM CDT on Thursday, May 15, 2008
By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
tgillman@dallasnews.com
WASHINGTON – Thursday's California court ruling striking down that state's ban on gay marriage will spark a fresh push to add a nationwide ban to the U.S. Constitution, Texas Sen. John Cornyn said shortly after the ruling was announced.
"It's certainly surprising. Many of us thought that the efforts to overturn the tradition marriage laws would be confined just to Massachusetts," said Mr. Cornyn, a chief backer of a push to enact a constitutional ban, which failed in 2004.
The California Supreme Court issued a 4-3 ruling Thursday that overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage, finding that domestic partnerships laws are an inadequate substitute for allowing same-sex couples to enter into formal marriages.
Coming from the nation's biggest state, gay and lesbian advocates hailed the ruling as historic. But critics of same-sex marriage were dismayed, Mr. Cornyn among them.
He noted that during congressional debates several years ago, one argument used by opponents of a constitutional ban was that few states allowed such arrangements, making the drastic step premature.
The California development, he said, reopens that argument.
"I do expect it'll generate some more debate, and I'll be happy to contribute to it," said Mr. Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, adding that Thursday's ruling also unleashes a slew of questions about whether other states will be forced to recognize same-sex unions from California.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has twice vetoed legislation intended to allow same-sex couples to get married. He said Thursday that he would not support a Constitutional amendment meant to overturn the state high court ruling.
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