Washington—Today, Respect for Marriage Act co-sponsors Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) along with Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced the filing of an amicus brief in the marriage equality cases that are on appeal to the United States Supreme Court.

The four cases from Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and Kentucky challenge state laws that prohibit same-sex couples from marrying and deny recognition to lawful marriages performed by other states. The Supreme Court will decide whether the Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the freedom to marry and to have their marriages respected nationwide.

“Although the Supreme Court in 2013 ruled that a key portion of DOMA was unconstitutional, state bans on the marriages of same-sex couples still prevent equality under the law," said Senator Feinstein. “With a favorable ruling, the Supreme Court could ensure once-and-for-all that legal marriage is available to loving, committed couples, regardless of sexual orientation. This would be a huge step toward equality in our nation.”

“State marriage bans apply across the board, limiting the right to marry and stay married when crossing state lines and preventing same-sex couples and their children from qualifying for a vast array of marriage-based state and federal rights and responsibilities,” Congressman Nadler said. “These laws impose countless burdens and indignities on gay and lesbian couples and their children. And they serve no legitimate governmental purpose. We firmly believe that everyone should enjoy the same right to marry the person that they love and urge the Court to make the Constitution’s promise of equality a reality for gay and lesbian couples throughout the nation.”

“I’m proud to stand with loving and committed same-sex couples throughout America demanding recognition, respect and equal protection under the law,” said Senator Reid. “Gay and lesbian couples have waited for far too long for the simple dignity of enjoying the same constitutional rights as their straight peers. I hope the Supreme Court will right this historical wrong.”

“Today, under federal law, many LGBT Americans still live in states that do not recognize their right to marry,” Leader Pelosi said. “Loving same-sex couples and their families deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality under the law. Now is the time for the Supreme Court to affirm that every American has the right to marry the person they love.”

Including Leaders Pelosi and Reid, Congressman Nadler and Senator Feinstein, a total of 167 Members of the House and 44 Members of the Senate signed on to the brief, including Congressmen Conyers, Hoyer, and Clyburn and Senators Leahy, Durbin, Schumer, Murray and the LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chairs Jared Polis (D-CO), David Cicilline (D-RI), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Mark Takano (D-CA), as well as Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

You can find the full text of the amicus brief here.

Full list of signatories

United States Senators

Tammy Baldwin

Michael F. Bennet

Richard Blumenthal

Cory Booker

Barbara Boxer

Sherrod Brown

Maria Cantwell

Benjamin L. Cardin

Thomas R. Carper

Robert P. Casey, Jr.

Christopher Coons

Joe Donnelly

Richard J. Durbin

Dianne Feinstein

Al Franken

Kirsten Gillibrand

Martin Heinrich

Heidi Heitkamp

Mazie K. Hirono

Tim Kaine

Angus S. King, Jr.

Amy Klobuchar

Patrick Leahy

Edward J. Markey

Claire McCaskill

Robert Menendez

Jeff Merkley

Barbara A. Mikulski

Christopher S. Murphy

Patty Murray

Bill Nelson

Gary Peters

Jack Reed

Harry Reid

Bernard Sanders

Brian Schatz

Charles E. Schumer

Jeanne Shaheen

Debbie Stabenow

Jon Tester

Mark R. Warner

Elizabeth Warren

Sheldon Whitehouse

Ron Wyden

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives

Alma S. Adams

Pete Aguilar

Brad Ashford

Karen Bass

Joyce Beatty

Xavier Becerra

Ami Bera

Donald S. Beyer Jr.

Earl Blumenauer

Suzanne Bonamici

Brendan F. Boyle

Robert A. Brady

Julia Brownley

Cheri Bustos

Lois Capps

Michael E. Capuano

Tony Cárdenas

John C. Carney, Jr.

André Carson

Matt Cartwright

Kathy Castor

Joaquin Castro

Judy Chu

David N. Cicilline

Katherine M. Clark

Yvette D. Clarke

James E. Clyburn

Steve Cohen

Gerald E. Connolly

John Conyers, Jr.

Jim Cooper

Joe Courtney

Joseph Crowley

Elijah E. Cummings

Danny K. Davis

Susan A. Davis

Peter A. DeFazio

Diana DeGette

John K. Delaney

Rosa L. DeLauro

Suzan K. DelBene

Mark DeSaulnier

Theodore E. Deutch

Debbie Dingell

Lloyd Doggett

Michael F. Doyle

Tammy Duckworth

Donna F. Edwards

Keith Ellison

Eliot L. Engel

Anna G. Eshoo

Elizabeth H. Esty

Sam Farr

Chaka Fattah

Bill Foster

Lois Frankel

Marcia L. Fudge

Tulsi Gabbard

Ruben Gallego

John Garamendi

Alan Grayson

Al Green

Raúl M. Grijalva

Luis V. Gutiérrez

Janice Hahn

Alcee L. Hastings

Denny Heck

Brian Higgins

James A. Himes

Michael M. Honda

Steny H. Hoyer

Jared Huffman

Steve Israel

Sheila Jackson Lee

Hakeem S. Jeffries

Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr.

Marcy Kaptur

Robin L. Kelly

Joseph P. Kennedy

Dan Kildee

Derek Kilmer

Ron Kind

Ann Kirkpatrick

Ann McLane Kuster

James R. Langevin

John B. Larson

Brenda L. Lawrence

Barbara Lee

Sander M. Levin

John Lewis

Ted Lieu

Dave Loebsack

Zoe Lofgren

Alan S. Lowenthal

Nita M. Lowey

Ben Ray Luján

Michelle Lujan Grisham

Stephen F. Lynch

Carolyn B. Maloney

Sean Patrick Maloney

Doris O. Matsui

Betty McCollum

Jim McDermott

James P. McGovern

Jerry McNerney

Gregory W. Meeks

Grace Meng

Gwen Moore

Seth Moulton

Patrick E. Murphy

Jerrold Nadler

Grace F. Napolitano

Richard E. Neal

Richard M. Nolan

Donald Norcross

Eleanor Holmes Norton

Beto O’Rourke

Frank Pallone, Jr.

Bill Pascrell, Jr.

Donald M. Payne, Jr.

Nancy Pelosi

Ed Perlmutter

Scott H. Peters

Chellie Pingree

Mark Pocan

Jared Polis

David E. Price

Mike Quigley

Charles B. Rangel

Kathleen M. Rice

Lucille Roybal-Allard

Raul Ruiz

C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger

Bobby L. Rush

Tim Ryan

Linda T. Sánchez

Loretta Sanchez

John P. Sarbanes

Janice D. Schakowsky

Adam B. Schiff

Robert C. “Bobby” Scott

José E. Serrano

Brad Sherman

Kyrsten Sinema

Albio Sires

Louise McIntosh Slaughter

Adam Smith

Jackie Speier

Eric Swalwell

Mark Takai

Mark Takano

Mike Thompson

Dina Titus

Paul Tonko

Norma J. Torres

Niki Tsongas

Chris Van Hollen

Juan Vargas

Marc A. Veasey

Nydia M. Velázquez

Timothy J. Walz

Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Maxine Waters

Bonnie Watson Coleman

Peter Welch

Frederica S. Wilson

John A. Yarmuth

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