The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation aimed at protecting same-sex marriages at the federal level amid fears the Supreme Court could reverse recognition of such partnerships.
The Respect for Marriage Act passed in the Democrat-controlled chamber by a vote of 267 to 157, but its Senate prospects are uncertain.
Forty-seven Republican lawmakers joined Democrats in voting for the bill, which was met with scattered applause on the House floor as it passed.
Democrats have 50 seats in the 100-seat Senate and 10 Republican votes would be required to get the measure going.
The Respect for Marriage Act would force US states to recognize a valid marriage contracted in another state and provide protections not only for same-sex partnerships but also for interracial marriages.
The bill repeals the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
The Supreme Court overturned part of the Defense of Marriage Act that denied federal benefits to same-sex couples in a 5-4 ruling in 2013, but the law had stayed on the books.
“The bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act will enshrine and protect marriage equality and ensure legal, same-sex and interracial marriages are recognized,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that enshrined nationwide abortion rights, on June 24, sparking projections that conservative judges might reconsider other landmark decisions.
Same-sex marriage remains a high-level goal for some Republicans and the religious right in the United States, although 71 percent of Americans in a May Gallup poll said they support such relationships.
By putting the Respect for Marriage Act to a vote in the House of Representatives, Democrats have forced Republicans to take a stand on the issue before the November midterm elections.
Clarence Thomas, one of the most conservative judges on the court, in his unanimous opinion on repealing abortion rights, fueled fears that other progressive gains could also be in jeopardy.
Thomas argued that the court should also review its contraception and same-sex marriage rulings.
Thomas – whose wife Ginni Thomas made false claims that Donald Trump won the last election – was the only judge to make such arguments from the nine justices who sit on America’s highest court.
But the court’s shift to the right under Trump, who appointed three new conservative judges, has Democrats, activists and progressive groups fearing his future verdicts.
The House of Representatives plans to vote on the Contraceptive Right Act later this week, which would protect access to contraceptives.
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