Less than a week after the Supreme Court made two separate rulings in favor of same-sex marriage the effects of their actions are already being felt across the country. NBC News reports that groups that oppose same-sex marriage are scrambling to create a strategy to fight what they fear is the impending nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. While in Los Angeles County the lifting of Prop 8 has been met with record demand for marriage licenses, according to the Los Angeles Times.
By ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional the Supreme Court made it so that legally performed same-sex marriages have to be recognized by the federal government, an action that is seen by many to be opening the door for nationwide legalization.
"It's very difficult to read the majority opinion in the Windsor case (DOMA) and not conclude that a majority of the court wants to impose same-sex marriage," Frank Schubert, political director of the National Organization for Marriage, told NBC News. "We need to redouble our efforts to engage the American people in a large movement to preserve marriage, one that would serve notice to the court that if they seek to constitutionalize same-sex marriage they risk a massive public revolt. It's imperative on us to mobilize people across the country who believe in marriage and to explain to them how close we are to losing it."
As groups such as the National Organization for Marriage prepare to fight the state by state spread of legalized same-sex marriage they will need to raise a lot of money to do so. During the last round of nationwide elections four states legalized same-sex marriage and in each case groups advocating same-sex marriage raised far more money than their opponents, according to NBC News.
"One thing we need to do is figure out a way to tap into the broad community of faith and raise money," Schubert said. "And if we're not successful at that, then we're going to have a very difficult time being competitive in the state campaign marketplace."
While the Supreme Court's ruling makes it so the federal government must recognize same-sex marriages it left alone the part of the law that allows states to legalize, or ban, the practice.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence hoped that his state would vote to ban same-sex marriage in 2014. Pence posted online that he was disappointed in the Supreme Court but was pleased that they "respect the sovereignty of states on this important issue. These decisions preserve the duty and obligation of the states do define and administer marriage as they see fit," according to NBC News.
In California where same-sex marriages are once again legal after the Supreme Court's ruling clerks have had to work overtime in order to accommodate all of the requests for marriage licenses. Since Friday afternoon more than 500 couples in Los Angeles County applied for licenses. Civil services are being performed for free on a first come first service basis for couples once they have received a license, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Similar actions were being taken in San Francisco where the city hall remained open on Sunday in order to accommodate the heavy demand. Starting on Monday clerks elsewhere in the state will be doing so, according to the Associated Press.
