Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on Thursday denounced the Supreme Court ruling striking down state bans on gay marriage, saying that as president he would protect opponents.

In a Fox News op-ed, Huckabee claimed that the Supreme Court's ruling was an “out-of-control act of unconstitutional judicial tyranny.”

“While some cowardly politicians will wave the white flag and surrender to the false god of judicial supremacy, I refuse to light a match to our Constitution,” he wrote. “We must resist and reject judicial tyranny, not retreat.”

Huckabee pledged as president to sign executive orders that “support traditional marriage and protect businesses, churches, non-profits, schools and universities, hospitals, and other organizations from discrimination, intimidation, civil penalties, or criminal attacks for exercising their religious beliefs” and direct the attorney general to “protect liberty and prosecute any violations of First Amendment rights of individuals, businesses, religious organizations, institutions, and civil servants, including those who believe in traditional marriage.”

“The Justice Department will protect and defend the rights of American citizens to follow their religious convictions without discrimination, and prosecute attacks on people of faith and their religious liberty.”

“I will aggressively prosecute attacks against people of faith as hate crimes,” he added.

A graphic posted on the Huckabee campaign Facebook page quotes the former governor as saying, “An attack on Christians and their religious liberty is a hate crime that must be prosecuted.”