The White House today says it has “a lot of confidence” in the arguments it made before the Supreme Court in the historic same-sex marriage case.
Press Secretary Josh Earnest today said the White House has no contingency plans for a negative ruling from the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage. Justices heard oral arguments April 28, and a ruling is expected any day, most likely before the end of the month.
“At this point, we continue to have a lot of confidence in the legal arguments presented by the solicitor general with regard to this matter, and I’m not aware of any contingency planning that’s ongoing at this point,†Earnest told Washington Blade Chief Political & White House reporter Chris Johnson.
The court could find all state bans against same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional, or it could uphold them, forcing thousands of legally married couples into a legal limbo. Ultimately, it is believed a ruling opposing same-sex marriage, one that supports the state marriage bans, would still allow those couples who married when they were struck down to retain their marital status.
Another issue, as Johnson mentioned in his question (video, above, beginning at the 59:07 mark), is place of celebration versus place of residence. Currently, some federal benefits are legally tied to the state in which a same-sex couple resides, whereas other federal questions are tied to the state in which the couple married. For example, a same-sex couple who married in Massachusetts but resides in Texas could not access federal social security and veterans benefits because Texas does not recognize their marriage.
Earlier this month, Senate Republicans killed a bill that would have ensured same-sex married veterans and their families could access those benefits.
Â
Image: Screenshot via C-SPAN
Hat tip:Â Washington Blade