John Stemberger: 'America Stands at Another Crossroad' on Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

Attorney John Stemberger, the president of the Florida Family Policy Council, on Friday offered his take on an impending Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. Stemberger ranks as one of the leading social and religious conservatives in Florida.

America stands at another crossroad in her history, Stemberger wrote supporters on Friday. Next week, likely on Monday but possibly Thursday, the United States Supreme Court will hand down landmark decisions on whether or not citizens of this country can define marriage as the union of one man and one woman through the legitimate legislative and state constitutional amendment process.

There are two cases, both on appeal at the same time. The first case is Hollingsworth v. Perry which is a challenge to Californias Proposition 8, which defined marriage as one man and one woman in their state Constitution, Stemberger added. California passed this on the same day that Florida passed Amendment 2, which also defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman in our state Constitution. The second case is U.S. v. Windsor which is a challenge of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, which defines marriage in all areas of federal law.

The primary legal question that will be answered is: Does a law that defines marriage to be only between a man and a woman deny homosexual couples the 14th Amendment guarantee of Equal Protection of the Law? Frankly, it would take a raw act of judicial activism to find an affirmative answer to such a question requiring the creation of new rights out of thin air, Stemberger added.

The conservative leader insisted the decision would be an important one for all Americans

We all have opinions on how far the court might go but no one knows how the court will rule for sure, Stemberger wrote. As a nation, we are at a critical point in history, very similar in magnitude to the weekend before the Roe v. Wade decision was announced, which declared that an unfettered right to abortion was somehow constitutional.

Stemberger added that however the Supreme Court rules, his group intends to remain active. No matter how unpopular it becomes, no matter how strong or ugly the opposition becomes, as long as we have breath, we will continue to contend for the institutions that God has created to provide social order and to reflect His Glory in the earth, Stemberger wrote.