Texas Governor: States Should Decide On Same-Sex Marriage, Not Federal Government

Speaking to members of the Republican Party in Houston, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the Supreme Court misapplied the Constitution in its decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states.

"Not a single word in the United States Constitution gives the federal government the authority to regulate marriage," Abbott says. "Instead, that authority has always been given to the states under the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution."

Following the Supreme Court's decision, the Kentucky clerk refused for months to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. She claims it violates her religious beliefs, but the judge says that's not a viable defense.

Abbott says despite the decision at the federal level, state statutes should help support religious freedom.

"Texas has a Religious Freedom Restoration Act that should protect any individual or any business owner from being forced to participate in a wedding that would force them to violate their religious beliefs," he says.

Many legal scholars agree that the Supreme Court's decision overrides state bans on same-sex marriage, like the one in Texas.