Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and NOM
President Brian Brown are among those criticizing a federal judge's
ruling declaring Oklahoma's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Terence Kern put
his 68-page ruling, handed down Tuesday, on hold, pending an appeal.
(Related: Federal
judge strikes down Oklahoma's gay marriage ban.)
Fallin, a Republican who in November
ordered state-owned National Guard bases to stop processing military
spouse benefit applications to avoid serving gay couples, said she
was troubled “that the will of the people has once again been
ignored by the federal government.”
“In 2004, the people of Oklahoma
voted to amend the state's constitution to define marriage as 'the
union of one man and one woman,'” Fallin said in a statement.
“That amendment passed with 75 percent support. I support the
right of Oklahoma's voters to govern themselves on this and other
policy matters. I am disappointed in the judge's ruling and troubled
that the will of the people has once again been ignored by the
federal government.”
In responding to the ruling, Brown
reiterated the need for a federal ban on such unions.
“Today, the National Organization for
Marriage renews its call for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to
protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” Brown said
in a
NOM blog post. “The decision by U.S District Court Judge
Terence Kern in Oklahoma is the latest in a string of examples of the
dangers posed to state marriage laws when the avenue of debate is the
federal court system. We need firm legislative action to protect the
rights of the states and their citizens to make their own
determinations regarding the definition of marriage without
interference from federal appointees either in the courts or within
the executive branch.”