Marshall for President
| “The President believes very strongly that everybody should be treated with dignity and respect.” | “The Massachusetts Constitution affirms the dignity and equality of all individuals. It forbids the creation of second-class citizens.” |
| “But this is about an enduring institution in America, and in order to have a strong America, we should work to make sure that that institution continues to endure.” |
“For decades, indeed centuries, in much of this country (including Massachusetts) no lawful marriage was possible between white and black Americans.” |
| “He has made it very clear, going back most recently to his State of the Union address that activist judges are seeking to redefine marriage." | "That long history availed not when the Supreme Court of California held in 1948 that a legislative prohibition against interracial marriage violated the due process and equality guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment, … or when, nineteen years later, the United States Supreme Court also held that a statutory bar to interracial marriage violated the Fourteenth Amendment, … As both Perez and Loving make clear, the right to marry means little if it does not include the right to marry the person of one’s choice…" |
| “The President does find the recent court ruling in Massachusetts very troubling.” | “Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code.” |
| — White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan 11 Feb 04 press briefing |
— Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 18 Nov 03 ruling |