Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), one of the House’s leading gay rights advocates, told TPM that he was “thrilled” by the White House’s decision to drop its legal support for the Defense of Marriage Act.
“It’s a big deal,” he said over the phone. “I’m just thrilled they came to this conclusion sooner rather than later. I think that any sound legal analysis will come to the same conclusion and any defense of this law is a break with precedent, with tradition, and an overreach of power by the federal government.”
Supporters and opponents of gay marriage alike say they expect members of the House to mount their own legal defense of DOMA, but Polis predicted the White House move would win over the courts, shifting the fight away from Congress and to the states instead.
“I hope the focus returns to the state level,” he said. “I would hope members not supportive of same-sex marriage would turn their advocacy to their states (though I hope they are not successful), but this should remove it as a federal issue. it has never been a federal issue nor should it be.”
