Assembly Democrats say it’s time to remove Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban from the state’s Constitution after the landmark ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court last week.
Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban was overturned in federal court last year, but last week’s decision by the Supreme Court was the final say: Justices ruled 5-4 that no state can prevent same-sex couples from marrying.
Beloit Democratic Rep. Mark Spreitzer said Monday it’s time now to give voters a chance to remove Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban language from the the state’s Constitution.
Stay informed on the latest news
Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.
“And I think it’s critical that we do that, because if we leave this in place — even though this language is not enforceable as a matter of law — it would really be an embarrassment to the state of Wisconsin if this discriminatory language continued to be part of our state Constitution, which is really a statement of our values going forward,” said Spreitzer.
Two consecutive sessions of the Legislature would first have to pass a resolution to put that question on the ballot. Early signs suggest that’s unlikely. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Democrats were merely trying to score political points.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
