BOISE, Idaho — A proposed bill that would prohibit the state from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples was scheduled to be heard Monday at the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee, but was pulled from the agenda just hours before the committee meeting. went.
The effort, introduced by Senator Scott Herndon of Sagal’s first term, would eliminate marriage licenses and define marriage as between a man and a woman, barring the state from issuing licenses to same-sex couples.
In 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled that all states must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognize same-sex marriages from other states. The Supreme Court also ruled that the US Constitution upholds the fundamental right to marry under the Fourteenth Amendment, citing equal protection under the law.
In December 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Respect for Marriage Act passed by Congress. It requires the federal government and all states to recognize the validity of same-sex and interracial marriages, but does not require states to do so.
Idaho law Already says that marriage is between a man and a woman. Some Idaho Democratic lawmakers believe it would prepare the state to explicitly ban same-sex marriage in Idaho if Scottus were to overturn prior rulings and return the issue to the states. , as was the case with the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel said, “Now that there is no fundamental right to privacy under the Constitution, they want to ban gay marriage.”
Idaho News 6 reached out to Senator Todd Lake of Nampa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee, to ask why this bill was taken off the agenda, but we have not heard back.
