Oral arguments at the Supreme Court in the Obergefell v. Hodges case were interrupted on Tuesday afternoon by a man inside the courtroom screaming his opposition to same-sex marriage, according to multiple news reports.
TPM Bureau Chief David Kurtz, who was reporting from inside the hearing, said a white male stood up and began shouting approximately thirty minutes into the oral argument.
Kurtz was unable to distinguish the exact words of the protester. However, in an audio clip published by WFPL producer Laura Ellis, it’s clear the man yelled, “The bible teaches us that if you support gay marriage, you will burn in hell!” and that gay marriage is an “abomination to god.”
According to SCOTUS Blog, the man continued to shout as security removed him from the courtroom.
Security scrambles in at SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/fhULfwu9lk
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) April 28, 2015
After the protester was removed from the courtroom, Justice Antonin Scalia quipped about the interruption, “It was rather refreshing, actually.”
