Senate passes Respect for Marriage Act

The Senate on Tuesday evening passed the Respect for Marriage Act to require that states recognize lawful marriages from other states while providing protections for religious liberty.

The bill passed with crossover support from Republicans, allowing it to clear the Senate's 60-vote filibuster threshold. It will now move to the House of Representatives, which previously passed a similar package. The final count was 61-36.

A bipartisan group of senators earlier this month announced the compromise plan which would stop shy of codifying same-sex marriage and instead require states to recognize lawful marriages from other states. It would further include carveouts for non-profit religious groups that do not wish to provide services for same-sex marriages.

The Supreme Court earlier this year overturned the landmark abortion rights precedent it set in Roe v. Wade. Following the ruling Associate Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the high court could revisit some of its landmark civil rights cases which prompted House progressives to push for a bill to codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage. That vote took place in July, though the lower chamber passed a bill without religious liberty protections.

Prior to the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hailed the Republican support for the bill, saying "[a] decade ago, it would have strained all of our imaginations to envision both sides talking about protecting the rights of same-sex married couples," the Washington Times reported. "America does move forward, although sometimes in difficult ways, and sometimes it's two steps forward, one step back."