Senate Advances Bill To Codify Same-Sex Marriage Protections

The Senate on Wednesday advanced legislation to codify protections for same-sex marriage, clearing a major procedural hurdle that required the support of 10 Republicans.

The Senate voted 62 to 37 to move forward with the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would formally repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 federal law that banned same-sex marriage but that was overturned by the 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that made same-sex marriage legal nationwide. The bill would also require states to recognize valid same-sex and interracial...