Supreme Court 'Clearly Wrong' To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage, Cruz Says

TEXAS — The Supreme Court was "clearly wrong" when it federally legalized same-sex marriage in its ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Saturday.

Cruz made the remarks on his Verdict With Ted Cruz podcast weeks after the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections granted by the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should also reconsider previous rulings that protect the right to buy and use contraceptives without government restriction, the right to a same-sex relationship, and the right to same-sex marriage.

Cruz compared Obergefell to Roe v. Wade, saying the ruling "ignored two centuries of our nation's history," similar reasoning to that used by the court to overturn Roe.

Cruz expressed support for states deciding whether or not they would recognize same-sex marriage. Some states had already done so or had allowed civil unions when the Supreme Court made its decision.

“The way the Constitution is set up for you to advance that position is convince your fellow citizens, and if you succeeded in convincing your fellow citizens, then your state would change the laws to reflect those views," Cruz said. "In Obergefell, the court said, 'No, we know better than you guys do,' and now every state must sanction and permit gay marriage. I think that decision was clearly wrong when it was decided. It was the court overreaching.”