Chris Christie on Supreme Court's DOMA Decision: 'It Was Wrong'
Chris Christie blasted the Supreme Court's decision on The Defense of Marriage Act, in which the nine justices decided Wednesday to declare the 1990s legislation unconstitutional. The New Jersey governor called the ruling "wrong" and an example of "judicial supremacy."
Chris Christie's comments came after the Supreme Court refused to hear the case on Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. They also neglected to tackle a federal law legalizing same-sex marriage across the U.S., which means the individual states can decide on the issue- advocates of homosexuality feel that the precedent has been set for change, though.
"I don't think the ruling was appropriate. … I think it was wrong," Christie said on his radio show "Ask the Governor." He said the Supreme Court justices substituted "their own judgment for the judgment of a Republican Congress and a Democratic President," referring to those who originally passed the bill.
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"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 added. Clinton has since disregarded his earlier defense of traditional marriage and stated that he wholly supports same-sex marriage along with many in the Democratic Party.
"[Justice Kennedy] basically said that the only reason to pass that bill was to demean people," Christie, who is a former federal prosecutor, said on his show. "And it's just another example of judicial supremacy, rather than having the government run by the people we actually vote for."
The openly gay daughter of Barbara Buono, the Democratic challenger against the N.J. governor in the state's upcoming gubernatorial election in November, attacked Christie due to his history with same-sex marriage legislation. Christie vetoed a gay marriage bill last year, saying he wanted the public to decide on the subject via a voter referendum.
"As governor, he has been a giant roadblock to New Jersey achieving equality for all," Tessa Bitterman, a 22-year-old law student at the University of San Francisco, wrote in an email to potential donors. Her mother Buono is currently serving in the N.J. state senate and supports same-sex marriage.
Bitterman encouraged voters to support her mother over Christie before "he takes his radical show on the road when he goes national after this election." However, critics pointed out that the move could be construed as largely political- Buono is down 30 points and behind in fundraising despite N.J. voting mainly Democratic.
Christie said that the issue of same-sex marriage should be resolved by a voter referendum since same-sex marriage advocates claim the majority of the state wants to legalize it.
"I am adhering to what I've said since this bill was first introduced – an issue of this magnitude and importance, which requires a constitutional amendment, should be left to the people of New Jersey to decide," he said in February of 2012.
