New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today blasted the United States Supreme Court today for its twin rulings on gay marriage -- one effectively permitting gay marriage in California and the other effectively forcing the federal government to recognize marriages of gays in states where such marriages are permitted.
Christie, who was a highly successful federal prosecutor, made the remarks on his “Ask the Governor” radio show, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court struck a crucial section of the Defense of Marriage Act. Here are excerpts from the Governor's comments:
“I think it was wrong,” [and] “typical of the problem we see” [in New Jersey’s own Supreme Court.]
“I don’t think the ruling was appropriate.”
[The justices have substituted] “their own judgment for the judgment of a Republican Congress and a Democratic President. In the Republican Congress in the ‘90s and Bill Clinton. I thought that Justice Kennedy’s opinion was, in many respects, incredibly insulting to those people, 340-some members of Congress who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, and Bill Clinton.”
“He [Kennedy] basically said that the only reason to pass that bill was to demean people. That’s heck of a thing to say about Bill Clinton and about the Republican Congress back in the ‘90s. And it’s just another example of judicial supremacy, rather than having the government run by the people we actually vote for.”
“You’re talking about changing an institution that’s over 2,000 years old. Seems to me that, you know … the Democrats are putting an increase to the minimum wage on the ballot. [in New Jersey”
“That’s important enough to put on the ballot. But gay marriage is not. That’s something the people should decide, but not whether same-sex marriage should happen in New Jersey.”
“I’ve made it very clear since 2009 that I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman. I’ve said that, I ran on that, I’ve said it consistently. That doesn’t mean, in any way shape or form, that I have anything against folks who are homosexual. In fact, I’ve said I believe people are born that way. I don’t believe it’s a choice…you were born with your sexual preference. But I believe that the institution of marriage for 2,000 years has been between a man and a woman.”
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