With last week’s Supreme Court decision, same-sex couples around Idaho were able to breathe a sigh of relief. But state Republican leaders say they're not done opposing same sex marriage.
Idaho GOP Executive Director David Johnston says the Supreme Court’s decision leaves a lot unanswered for people who say their religious freedoms are being infringed upon. He says the justices' ruling was an example of judicial activism and overreach.
"Instead of ruling on the constitutionality of an issue and the legality of the law," says Johnston, "the Supreme Court decided to set policy."
Johnston says since the highest court made the decision to reverse state bans, the law must be followed. But he says it won’t settle the debate among people from both sides of the issue, and it hasn't changed the state party's stance.
"Our position on same-sex marriage is still the same and our platform enumerates that: that we believe in traditional marriage, that Idaho's constitutional amendment – which is exactly what Idaho did is a constitutional amendment saying ‘this is what we define as marriage' – and we support that.”
The amendment to the state’s constitution was voted into law in 2006, and then ruled unconstitutional by a district court in spring 2014. Idaho same-sex couples began getting married in October 2014.
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