An Idaho Republican has renewed efforts to challenge same-sex marriage protections in the United States, arguing the legal recognition of marriage equality threatens the stability of “society as a whole”.
North Idaho GOP legislator Tony Wisniewski introduced a joint memorial on Monday (23 February), urging the United States Supreme Court to reconsider its landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.
The 2015 decision established that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, striking down bans in states that prohibited marriage equality. Since then, the ruling has remained a frequent target for conservative lawmakers seeking to limit LGBTQIA+ rights.
Addressing the House State Affairs Committee, Wisniewski, 74, argued that the court’s decision undermined what he described as the foundational role of heterosexual families.
“The government did not create families or marriage, but they have to recognise that the family is the fundamental building block of society,” he said. “The strengths that these two complementary natures of a father and a mother give strength, direction, and stability to the family and therefore society.”
During the same session, fellow Republican lawmaker Heather Scott moved to introduce Wisniewski’s memorial with an amendment removing a sentence that claimed defining marriage as between one man and one woman had formed the “basis of the United States’ Anglo-American legal tradition for more than 800 years”.
According to local outlet Idaho Capital Sun, the amended motion passed in a mixed voice vote. The proposal will now proceed to a full public hearing, where lawmakers will determine whether it advances further.
Despite the renewed push, the measure faces significant hurdles. A similar memorial previously brought by Idaho Republicans failed to progress to the Senate, making it unlikely this latest attempt will move beyond an initial House vote.
It is also uncertain whether the Supreme Court would entertain such a request. In November last year, the court declined to hear a related petition from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples. An appeals court had ruled she could be held liable for her actions, and the Supreme Court allowed that decision to stand.
While the Idaho proposal has reignited debate around marriage equality, any reversal of Obergefell would require action from the nation’s highest court — a prospect that, for now, appears remote.
