Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who hails from the Peach State, also released a statement this afternoon condemning the ruling:
Judge Walker’s ruling overturning Prop 8 is an outrageous disrespect for our Constitution and for the majority of people of the United States who believe marriage is the union of husband and wife. In every state of the union from California to Maine to Georgia, where the people have had a chance to vote they’ve affirmed that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Congress now has the responsibility to act immediately to reaffirm marriage as a union of one man and one woman as our national policy. Today’s notorious decision also underscores the importance of the Senate vote tomorrow on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court because judges who oppose the American people are a growing threat to our society.
*Correction: One reader points out that Walker was originally nominated to the seat by Ronald Reagan. His confirmation stalled in the Senate, however, after House democrats opposed his nomination. Walker was nominated a second time by George H.W. Bush on September 7, 1989 and confirmed on November 21, 1989.