The House passed a bill today that protects marriage equality as members of the Supreme Court have indicated that they might take aim at Obergefell, the Supreme Court case that federally legalized same-sex marriage. 47 republicans joined the democrats in passing the bill while 157 opposed it. Seven republicans abstained from voting, no democratic representatives voted against the bill.
In a concurring opinion to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas revealed that he believes that the court should reconsider the Obergefell case. Other justices also warned that the more conservative leaning members of the court might want to dismantle Obergefell next.
The “Respect of Marriage Act” would ensure that all marriages are valid across states as long as it is valid in the state where the marriage license was issued. Prohibiting “any person acting under color of state law from denying full faith and credit to an out of state marriage based on the sex, race, ethnicity or national origin of the individuals in the marriage.”
The bill is now headed for the senate which is evenly divided between republicans and democrats, meaning that the bill needs at least 10 republican votes to avoid a death by filibuster.