COLUMBUS, Ohio — Attorney General Mike DeWine, whose office argued in court against overturning Ohio’s ban on gay marriage, acknowledged Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision that gay marriage is a right is the law of the land that must be followed.
“The Attorney General’s Office has an obligation and duty to defend the constitutionality of Ohio laws, including constitutional amendments passed by Ohio voters,” DeWine said in as statement. “Ohio’s involvement in this case has been to defend the voter-passed amendment.
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“While Ohio argued that the Supreme Court should let this issue ultimately be decided by the voters, the Court has now made its decision,” he said.
Gov. John Kasich’s administration took a similar position.
“The governor has always believed in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, but our nation’s highest court has spoken and we must respect its decision,” said Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols.
DeWine represented the state in Obergefell v. Hodges, one of several cases involved in Friday’s ruling. It involved a challenge to a constitutional amendment Ohio voters approved in 2004. That amendment defined marriage in Ohio as between one man and one woman.