That generated as much heat and animus as this topic did. Please help me welcome a man who stood up to argue and to defend what our nations highest court has now recognized as a constitutional right, professor geoffrey stone. [applause] thank you. Im delighted to be here. My talk this afternoon derives from a book that i am currently finishing titled sex and the constitution. Although the book addresses such issues as obscenity, contraception, homosexuality generally, abortion and so on, i decided to focus specifically this afternoon on the issue of samesex marriage, an issue that cuts to the very heart of the meaning of equal citizenship. In august of 1982, an Atlanta Police officer went to the home of Michael Hardwick to serve an arrest warrant for public drinking. Upon entering the home, he observed hardwick and another man engaged in oral sex. The officer placed both men under arrest for the crime of sodomy. In the case decided in 1986, the Supreme Court held that the homosexual so
The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. The clerk the speakers room, washington, d. C. , july 19, 2022. I hereby appoint the honorable Sheila Jackson lee to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore the prayer will be offered by chaplain kibben. Chaplain kibben would you pray with me . Loving god, you have called those who believe in you to live in community, to love and support those in need, to encourage each other in the faith. God, at times, these seems like such easy tasks. All we need do is look around us and we see fellow human beings in great want for so many things. And yet, we are reluctant to act, not knowing where to start, whom to help first, or what the right help is for us to give. Open our eyes to those who are hungry, who need clothes, who thirst for the water that will satisfy their deepest needs. May we be
The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Nadler mr. Speaker, h. R. 8404, the respect for marriage act, would reaffirm that Marriage Equality is and must remain the law of the land. Over the past several decades, millions of lgbtq people in loving and supportive relationships have married and formed families, particularly after the Supreme Court ruled in oberkfell and hodges that the constitution protects Marriage Equality. An estimated two million children are being raised by lgbtq families today. An enormous body of Research Shows that stable and loving families are the foundation for childrens wellbeing and success and children do best when their families have the critical Legal Protections to care for one another. Thankfully, Marriage Equality remains constitutionally protected. And there is no indication that it will be overturned in the foreseeable future. It is and should forever be considered settled law. Nonetheless, the Supreme Courts recent decis
Constitution protects Marriage Equality. An estimated two million children are being raised by lgbtq families today. An enormous body of Research Shows that stable and loving families are the foundation for childrens wellbeing and success and children do best when their families have the critical Legal Protections to care for one another. Thankfully, Marriage Equality remains constitutionally protected. And there is no indication that it will be overturned in the foreseeable future. It is and should forever be considered settled law. Nonetheless, the Supreme Courts recent decision in dobbs vs. Jacksons women health, which extinguished the constitutional right to an abortion, has raised concerns among some people that other rights in the constitutional right to privacy may be at risk, notwithstanding the courts assurance that dobbs was limited to abortion. This includes the right to Marriage Equality. In fact, in a concurring opinion in dobbs, Justice Clarence thomas explicitly called o
Virginia lawmakers resumed the longstanding effort to codify same-sex marriage protection, but there are a handful of other bills that address marriage in the commonwealth.