Texas Attorney General Applauds Court Overturning Of Gay Marriage Benefits Decision

AUSTIN, TX — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday applauded the Texas Supreme Court decision ruling that gay spouses might not be entitled to government-subsidized workplace benefits.

“I’m extremely pleased that the Texas Supreme Court recognized that Texas law is still important when it comes to marriage,” Paxton said in a prepared statement. “While the U.S. Supreme Court declared a right to same-sex marriage, that ruling did not resolve all legal issues related to marriage.”

Indeed, in making their ruling, members of the high state court said the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage did not address the area of benefits. Friday's ruling by the Texas Supreme Court yields an opportunity for social conservatives to chip away at the previous SCOTUS ruling legalizing gay marriage, the Associated Press noted.

Related story: Texas Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marriage Benefits Decision

The court may not have heard the case were it not to intense pressure from Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the AP noted. The trio filed a flurry of briefs explaining the case might help Texas limit the scope of the SCOTUS ruling, according to the report.

Paxton himself reminds people of his efforts to have the case heard, as outlined in his statement. Last October, he Abbott and Patrick filed a joint amicus brief with the Texas Supreme Court urging its members to affirm that the U.S. Supreme Court’s announcement of a right to same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges does not resolve all legal issues related to marriage, he wrote. Before that, Paxton said he "...defended Texas’ marriage laws in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals."

Their persistence paid off in a case that centered on former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who estended benefits to same-sex spouses of city employees "...while the traditional, Texas definition of marriage was still in full force," Paxton noted.

To view a copy of the Texas Supreme Court's decision, click here.

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