WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined 43 of his Senate colleagues and 167 members of the House of Representatives in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court stating that all couples deserve the right to marry no matter the state that they live in. The Supreme Court will hear the case – which will determine whether it is constitutional for a state to refuse recognize a same-sex marriage license issued in another state – on April 28, 2015. Currently 36 states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage.
“Our LGBT family, friends, and neighbors have waited too long for the full and equal civil rights guaranteed by our Constitution,” said Brown. “It’s time for the Supreme Court to join the growing majority of Americas who support marriage equality. I am hopeful that once the Supreme Court rules in this case, every American will enjoy the same basic right to marry the person he or she loves.”
Brown is a long-time supporter of marriage equality. He is one of a handful of sitting senators who voted against the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996 – during his service as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2013, as the Supreme Court heard arguments on the DOMA in United States v. Windsor, he joined an amicus brief asking the Court to overturn the law.
In January 2015, Brown cosponsored the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation that would fully repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and ensure equal federal recognition for legally-married, same sex couples – even if they live in non-marriage equality states.
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