Schumer: Senate to Push Same-Sex Marriage Law Through Before Midterms

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Monday that the Senate would vote in September to make same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

According to a report from the Washington Examiner, last month, Democrats introduced the Respect for Marriage Act as a response to the Supreme Court ruling that effectively overturned Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion across the nation.

If enacted, the Respect for Marriage Act would alter the federal definition of marriage to include same-sex unions and require states to acknowledge same-sex marriages.

After Justice Clarence Thomas released his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Democrats repeatedly cited it as a reason to introduce the Respect for Marriage Act, amid concerns that same-sex marriage was under thereat.

In his opinion, Thomas wrote that the Supreme Court ought to "reconsider" its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges as well as rulings in other landmark cases, including Lawrence v. Texas, which blocked bans on same-sex sexual activity, and Griswold v. Connecticut, which secured the right to contraception access.

In Obergefell, the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that same-sex marriage was a constitutional right.

Democrats are optimistic they have enough Republican support in the Senate to pass the Respect for Marriage Act and avoid a filibuster.

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