Republican state legislator Heather Scott has described the 2015 Supreme Court decision that allowed same-sex couples to marry as an "illegitimate overreach." She advocates for the Court to restore the "natural definition" of marriage, which she defines as a union between a man and a woman. Republicans argue that individual states should have the authority to decide whether same-sex couples can marry.
Since 2015, the composition of the politically appointed U.S. Supreme Court has shifted dramatically. By blocking an appointment at the end of President Obama’s term, Republicans secured a conservative majority of six justices against three progressive ones.
These conservative justices have, for example, reversed the right to abortion and granted President Trump broad immunity. Republicans now see an opportunity to roll back marriage equality.
Sarah Warbelow of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has called the resolution a “cruel action” and pointed out that “extremist attacks” on LGBT+ rights in the U.S. are becoming increasingly aggressive.
