North Carolina Republicans File Bill to Ban Same-Sex Marriage

Three Republican lawmakers have filed a bill seeking to outlaw same-sex marriage within North Carolina.

House Bill 780, otherwise known as the “Uphold Historical Marriage Act,” says the United States Supreme Court “overstepped its constitutional bounds” when it negated an amendment of North Carolina’s constitution in its 2015 landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

If passed, North Carolina’s new bill would invalidate same-sex marriage, reportedly including marriages that have already been officiated — both in and out of the state — despite the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The bill’s main sponsors are Reps. Larry Pittman, Michael Speciale, and Carl Ford, who in the filed bill cite a 61% affirmative vote for Article 14, Section 6 of the state’s constitution that voided same-sex marriage and civil unions in 2012.