©2026 League of Conservation Voters
Issues
Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) sponsored H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act, to protect same-sex and interracial marriage under federal law; to require states to accord full faith and credit to out-of-state marriages without discrimination on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin; and to provide for enforcement of the right to marriage equality. The rights to same-sex and interracial marriages are protected by the United States Constitution under landmark Supreme Court precedents, including Loving v. Virginia, United States v. Windsor, and Obergefell v. Hodges. However, in 2022, the Supreme Court removed a constitutional right for the first time in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which ended the right to abortion access. The decision in Dobbs, as well as Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion explicitly calling for the Court to “reconsider” Obergefell, led Chair Nadler and others to propose statutory protections for the right to marriage equality. Additionally, majority support for this bill in Congress highlights the extreme decisions of the current Supreme Court majority, that has also undermined protections for the environment, democracy, and racial justice. On December 8, the House approved H.R. 8404, as amended by the Senate, by a vote of 258-169 (House roll call vote 513). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The president signed H.R. 8404 into law on December 13.
©2026 League of Conservation Voters