ROANOKE, Va. – The start of June means the Supreme Court enters its final weeks of term that may reveal decisions on issues like abortion. Many believe it will have effects on several individual constitutional rights, like same-sex marriage.
“Once you have a precedent of this sort that disestablishes long-held individual constitutional rights, then that paves the way to do exactly the same thing to other rights such as gay marriage, such as the right to contraception, such as the right to interracial marriage,” said Stewart Harris, a constitutional law professor at Lincoln Memorial University.
Using the game of Jenga as an example, Harris said the removal of one piece could affect others. It is all tied to the 14th amendment, Harris explained.
President Joe Biden, this week, urged Congress to pass an equality act, which supports LGBTQ rights.
Earlier this year, a General Assembly house subcommittee voted to keep a 2006 ban on same-sex marriage in the Virginia constitution, which is currently symbolic and unenforceable.
“They believe that the due process clause gives them the authority to define these other individual rights, and that’s always been controversial,” said Harris.
Click here to watch a video of the subcommittee hearing.