Ron Johnson: Bill protecting same-sex marriage ‘completely unnecessary’
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said the Respect for Marriage Act is unnecessary because he does not think the Supreme Court will overturn the right to gay marriage like it did to abortion rights.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said the Respect for Marriage Act is unnecessary because he does not think the Supreme Court will overturn the right to gay marriage like it did to abortion rights.
“I do not see the Supreme Court overturning that because that would impact millions of people that have been acted on that,” Johnson told WISN-TV in an interview.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) tells WISN-TV that a bill to protect same-sex marriage is “completely unnecessary” because “the decision on gay marriage will never be overturned” and precedent is “decisive.”
He says it differs from Dobbs because “it would impact millions of people.” pic.twitter.com/0IG2VKsZxQ
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) August 22, 2022
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act in July by a vote of 267-157. If it passes the Senate, this bill will codify gay and interracial marriage into law and prevent the Supreme Court from rescinding those rights.
Democratic senators are reaching across the aisle to secure 10 Republican votes needed to overcome a filibuster and pass the bill in the Senate. Johnson previously stated he had no reason to oppose the bill but changed his mind over concerns regarding religious freedom. Now, he is preparing an amendment addressing religious freedom to debate on before the Senate votes on the Respect for Marriage Act in September.
In 2015, the Supreme Court narrowly ruled (5-4) that gay marriage is a constitutional right for all Americans in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. However, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently called for the court to reconsider Obergefell, raising fears that the Republican-aligned Court could overturn gay marriage rights. The Court already overturned 50 years of precedent by taking away the constitutional right to abortion, which affected millions of people.
Johnson is running for re-election against Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D), who recently pulled ahead of Johnson in a new Marquette University Law poll.
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