Idaho House committee votes to ask Supreme Court to revisit Obergefell after hours of testimony for and against

The Idaho House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday voted to send House Joint Memorial 1 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. The memorial asks the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision on same-sex marriage and emphasizes state authority over matters the proponents describe as not enumerated by the federal constitution.

Representative Heather Scott (R–District 2) presented the memorial, saying the measure is "about upholding federalism and a state's right to make our own decisions. It is not about defining marriage, it's about who should be defining marriage." She said the resolution asks the Supreme Court to "restore our State authority" and urged the committee to send a "clear message from Idaho" that the state should decide marriage law.

Scott's presentation drew sustained questioning from committee members who probed both practical consequences and constitutional theory. Representative Achilles raised the historical concern that "states' rights" has been used to defend slavery and Jim…