Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin today blasted the Supreme Court’s decision to let stand the 10th Circuit ruling which declared the state’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional, opening the door for gay couples to marry in that state.
“The people of Oklahoma have the right to determine how marriage is defined. In 2004, Oklahomans exercised that right, voting by a margin of 3-1 to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
“The will of the people has now been overridden by unelected federal justices, accountable to no one. That is both undemocratic and a violation of states’ rights. Rather than allowing states to make their own policies that reflect the values and views of their residents, federal judges have inserted themselves into a state issue to pursue their own agendas.
“Today’s decision has been cast by the media as a victory for gay rights. What has been ignored, however, is the right of Oklahomans and Americans in every state, to write their own laws and govern themselves as they see fit. Those rights have once again been trampled by an arrogant, out-of-control federal government that wants to substitute Oklahoma values with Washington, D.C. values.”
Fallin’s statement came as county clerks in Oklahoma and several other states began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples…
Read our legal editor Ari Ezra Waldman’s analysis of today’s SCOTUS news HERE.
Watch a news report from Oklahoma’s KTUL on today’s news, AFTER THE JUMP…
