Federal Judge Hears Case on Redefining Marriage in Texas

Yesterday, a San Antonio federal court judge, Orlando Garcia, held a hearing on a case filed by homosexual couples seeking to strike down the Texas Constitution’s provision that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Justice Garcia did not issue a ruling at the end of the hearing and he gave no indication of when he would rule on this issue.

The result is that the Texas Constitution and Texas’ traditional marriage laws remain intact. Homosexual advocates were represented by Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, one of the largest worldwide law firms with offices in several Texas cities. However, their lawyers seemed mainly interested in making emotional and political arguments. The Texas Attorney General’s staff lawyers stayed focused on the law and defended Texas marriage laws quite well.

We are thankful that Attorney General Greg Abbott and his team continue to defend our laws, while other state Attorney Generals betray their oath and refuse to enforce traditional marriage laws that were voted on by the people.

In an interview with One News Now after the hearing, Texas Values president Jonathan Saenz shared his thoughts on the hearing:

“The homosexual advocates arguing for the change in our law were arguing about what they wished the law said, and what they wished that the Supreme Court had said in cases, and what they wished appellate courts had said in regards to this matter – and the fact of the matter is, they haven’t said those things,” states the attorney.

Saenz explains what the courts have in fact said. “States like Texas have the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman,” he says. “And they continue to have that right; it’s been something historically that states have had the right to do. And so rightly so, our constitution continues to stand and the will of the people is clear.”

States, like Texas, must have the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman, and we are ultimately confident that true marriage will continue to prevail in Texas.