Labrador Responds to 9th Circuit Ruling on Marriage

Press Release

Congressman Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, issued the following statement in response to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling striking down Idaho's constitutional protection of traditional marriage:

While I personally believe that marriage should be defined as the union of a man and a woman, marriage is an issue that should be decided by the states. Marriage should not be redefined by unelected judges who continue to trump the will of the people of the various states.

In 2006, 282,000 Idahoans -- more than 63 percent of those voting -- amended the Constitution to preserve traditional marriage. Now, a single judge in Idaho and a panel of judges in San Francisco have trumped the will of the vast majority of the people of this state. I believe the U.S. Supreme Court should review these federal court decisions and reaffirm that the people of the 50 states have the right to define marriage.

Regardless of how the Supreme Court ultimately decides this question, our focus at the federal level should be on guaranteeing the religious liberty of those who continue to believe in traditional marriage. This is why I introduced H.R. 3133, the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act, which would prohibit adverse actions by the IRS or other federal agencies based on a person or a group's views on marriage.

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