An AP/Roper poll taken last month shows that a majority of Americans support marriage equality, and believe the government should not make any distinction between same-sex and opposite-sex couples when determining government benefits.
52% of Americans, up from 46% just one year ago, answered “Yes,” to the question, “Should the Federal Government give legal recognition to marriages between couples of the same sex, or not?” Conversely, 46% answered “No,” down from 53% a year earlier.
This is the second time a national poll has found the majority of Americans support the rights of same-sex couples to full marriage equality. An August CNN poll also found 52% of Americans believed “gays and lesbians should have a constitutional right to get married and have their marriage recognized by law as valid.”
Of these findings, Freedom To Marry’s Evan Wolfson stated, “[T]hose who would deny liberty and equal protection to same-sex couples are now in the minority. Even in a moment in which most people are focused on the economy and unemployment, Americans are still speaking up for our country’s core values that the majority should not deny a minority its rights and that we must uphold the Constitution’s enduring promise of equal protection for all.”
Additionally, 62% believe “The rights of everyone should be protected, even when that means saying no to something the majority of people want to happen.”
In related questions, 56% of Americans believe, “[j]udges should interpret laws broadly, taking into account the broader interests of the nation.”
And a whopping 78% think Supreme Court justices “sometimes let their own partisan political views influence their decisions,” yet a combined total of 74% expressed confidence in the Supreme Court.
Which will be interesting as federal challenges to same-sex marriage make their way to the nation’s highest court.
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