After significant media debate leading up to yesterday’s vote, House Republican leaders voted to authorize a legal defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The move comes in response to the Obama Administration’s decision to cease defense of Section 3 on constitutional grounds.
Michael Steel, a spokesperson for Speaker of the House John Boehner, told The Washington Blade that the U.S. House panel voted 3-2 to direct the House General Counsel to move forward in a legal defense of DOMA.
Last month, the Obama Administration concluded that DOMA was unconstitutional, and decided to require the court to consider the law with heightened scrutiny. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the House Republican move to contest that decision “discriminatory” and emphasized the high cost of legal proceedings at a time when financial resources are limited.
“Pursuing this legal challenge distracts from our core challenges: creating jobs, strengthening the middle class, and responsibly reducing the deficit,” Pelosi stated. “And that is why I voted against this action today.”
HRC president Joe Solmonese agreed with Pelosi’s sentiments, and stated that “With today’s vote, Speaker Boehner has made clear that an anti-equality agenda trumps helping American families in tough economic times.” Meanwhile, Casey Pick, Programs Director for Log Cabin Republicans, offered a counter-argument. “Log Cabin Republicans firmly believe that DOMA is an unconstitutional intrusion on states’ rights and a violation of individual liberty,” Pick said; but she also explained “we agree with the speaker that the constitutionality of this law should be determined by the courts and not by the president unilaterally.”
A GOP aide noted that a decision on spending and intervention in DOMA cases has yet to be reached in the wake of yesterday’s vote.
