each state decides weather to legalize it or not
each state decides weather to legalize it or not
In the United States, the states have always regulated eligibility and validity of marriage. Only once before, in the issue of interracial marriage, did the federal government overrule states rights in this regard.
federal issue
Civil Unions were invented as an alternative to marriage for same-sex couples. In the United States, all marriages are entered into according to state laws. The federal government does not issue marriage licenses, register marriages, or issue marriage certificates. Since civil unions are analogous to marriages, the same holds true for them.
Senator Paul is opposed to same-sex marriage. But, on January 30, 2013, he announced that he opposed the Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA"), because he said the federal law made same-sex marriage a federal issue instead of a state one. He said same-sex marriage could have been decided state-by-state, but he feared it would be decided federally because of DOMA, which would result in urban centers having more influence on the outcome than rural areas.
Marriage licenses are usually issued at the county level.
Same-sex marriage can be banned by state or federal statute, or by amending the federal or state constitution. In many cases, existing marriage laws already preclude same-sex marriage and no action is needed to ban it.
No. A constitutional amendment is not necessary. Marriage is a state-level issue. The only thing the Federal Government can do is to strike down discriminatory bans on same-sex marriage.
No, Congress does not issue marriage licenses. Marriage licenses are typically issued by state or local governments in the United States, as marriage laws fall under state jurisdiction. While Congress can influence marriage laws through legislation, the actual issuance of licenses is managed at the state level.
Marriage licenses are issued by the state. In most cases the state has directed the county handle the registration.
State.
In the United States, the states have always regulated eligibility and validity of marriage. Only once before, in the issue of interracial marriage, did the federal government overrule states rights in this regard.