The Texas Attorney General’s Office today joined with the Attorneys General of fourteen other states to file an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a federal appeals court’s ruling that affirmed the states’ constitutional authority to refuse to allow same-sex marriages or recognize existing same-sex marriages performed in other states.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the friend-of-the-court brief, arguing that the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is proper and corroborates the states’ constitutional right to define marriage. Attorney General Paxton issued the following statement:
“We continue to defend the sovereignty of the states and their constitutional authority to define marriage in this country. As the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has held, the states’ authority to define marriage and choose whether to officially recognize marriages performed in other states is constitutional. I urge the Supreme Court to uphold the appeals court’s ruling and strike down these blatant attempts to disregard the will of millions of citizens in Texas and dozens of other states who stood and voted for the cherished institution of marriage.”
Attorney General Paxton continues to actively uphold Texas law in the face of unconstitutional actions taken by Travis County judges. Additionally, in January, the Attorney General’s Office defended the institution of marriage before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.