Responses to Supreme Court Rulings

President Barack Obama
(full statement here)


The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.  


Washington Governor Jay Inslee
I could not be more proud and excited to see the U.S. Supreme Court take a long overdue stand for equality, fairness and family. Marriage is for two people in love and it is past time for our country to not just recognize that, but honor it. Washington state is a leader in marriage equality and today’s ruling means the benefits and recognition of marriage offered to couples here in our state will be offered equally across our nation. #loveislove #marriageequality

US Senator Patty Murray

(full statement here)

This is a great day for the civil rights and marriage equality movement. Following this good news, I’m going to work with the administration and my colleagues in Congress to ensure that all the rights and federal benefits enjoyed by married couples are provided to LGBT couples as quickly as possible, including to unite bi-national LGBT couples who have been split apart by this discriminatory law.

US Senator Maria Cantwell

(full statement here)

This is a historic day for equal rights in our nation and in Washington state. Our state was a trailblazer in recognizing the right of same-sex couples to marry and helped in setting the stage for this historic ruling. All Washingtonians will receive the equal treatment they deserve in the eyes of federal law for the first time. Our state’s same-sex married couples will now get the same federal benefits and recognition as heterosexual couples.

US Congresswoman Suzan DelBene

(full statement here)

The Court today affirmed what Washington voters already know, which is that all loving couples deserve equal treatment under the law. This was the same argument that I and 212 of my colleagues made when we submitted an amicus brief to the Court when making our case that DOMA is unconstitutional. For married gay and lesbian couples throughout the country, today’s ruling means that they are now clearly eligible for all the federal protections and responsibilities afforded to other married couples.

US Congressman Adam Smith

(full statement here)

Even with these rulings, significant work remains to ensure equal rights to the LGBT community.  Same-sex couples living in states that don’t recognize all marriages still face uncertainty and discrimination.  LGBT people can still be denied work simply based on who they are. Bullying in our schools is still a dangerous epidemic among youth who are or are perceived to be LGBT, and homelessness and poverty rates are still unacceptably high among LGBT people.  The Supreme Court’s decisions exhibit the tremendous progress we have made towards full equality, but we must remain committed to doing all we can to make sure equal opportunity and justice are realities for all Americans.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson

(full statement here)

Today is a great day for marriage equality both in Washington state and across the country.

This ruling is vitally important to the people of Washington.  Now that Washington voters have approved same-sex marriage, couples in our state could have found themselves in similar situations—being denied federal benefits provided to other couples. It was important that Washington’s voice be heard in this case.

King County Executive Dow Constantine 

I am pleased and proud that the Supreme Court has officially recognized the civil rights of same-sex couples, rights that Washington State voters embraced last year. Being able to issue the first marriage licenses to happy same-sex couples was one of the highlights of my career. Thankfully, it appears that there will be many more such joyful moments as our nation moves, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, ever closer to the ideals announced at our founding. I am proud of King County and Washington State for helping to nudge the nation toward justice.

Big Day for Democracy and Civil Rights

Today (Thursday, February 28) has been a tremendously successful day for our community!

Following the actions taken by GSBA, many of our members, the City of Seattle and King County, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson joined attorneys general from a dozen other states and the District of Columbia have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to support marriage equality.

“Washington has a clear interest in supporting marriage equality and in ensuring the federal government respects marriages that are valid under Washington law,” said Ferguson. “I am proud that Washington played an active role in developing the strong arguments in these briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting marriage equality for couples in Washington and across the country."


Oh, and the President also spoke up for equality. President Obama's administration is urging the Court to rule that voters in California did not have the right to ban gay marriage in 2008 (the Perry case) and that Section 3 of DOMA, limiting federal recognition of same-sex couples, is unconstitutional (the Windsor case).


In Congress, the House of Representatives passed the Senate's bipartisan, inclusive version of the Violence Against Women Act, which now goes to the President's desk for his signature. House Republicans had proposed an alternate version removing added protections for LGBT and Native Americans, but that version failed to pass. Our own Senator Patty Murray deserves a big thank for her leadership role in passing an inclusive VAWA. The Senator had this to say about the bill following its passage:

"This is a long delayed, hard won, and badly needed victory for millions of women, especially those who were told that they weren’t worthy of VAWA’s protections. It means that finally, after over 16 months of struggle, tribal women, the LGBT community, immigrants, and women on college campuses will have the tools and resources this life-saving bill provides.

“There is absolutely no reason that it should have taken this long for the House leadership to come around on a bill that had overwhelming bipartisan support. But passage today is a validation of what we’ve been saying since this bill expired in 2011 - VAWA has never been, and should never be, a partisan bill. That is why I applaud moderate Republican voices in the House who stood up to their leadership to demand a vote on the Senate bill."


And, finally, education and democracy won today when the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that state law stemming from a series of Tim Eyman initiatives requiring a two-thirds majority vote in the state legislature to increase taxes or close a loophole was unconstitutional. The 6-3 decision ruled that the state constitution gives the Legislature the authority to pass laws by simple majority. GSBA took a public stand against Eyman's most recent Initiative 1185, with the Board arguing that that the initiative would adversely impact our state's ability to effectively legislative and would unduly tie the hands of government to react to the needs of the citizens.