Montana Senator Max Baucus and U.S. Representative Steve Daines offered two radically different perspectives on the June 25 decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue specifically were the court's rulings on the Defense of Marriage Act, which extended federal marriage benefits to same-sex couples.

Baucus spoke out on the ruling in a positve light saying,

“Today is a proud day in American history when we can say to all Montanans, Americans and their children: your love and your family are just as good as everyone else’s under the law. For too long, same-sex couples and their children have been denied more than 1,000 federal rights and obligations that married couples enjoy. That was wrong. In the United States of America, no one should be treated as a second class citizen simply because of who they choose to love.”

“I believe each of us has a moral obligation to leave this place in better shape than we found it, and today’s decision puts our country on the right side of history. Now it’s time to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and guarantee all Montanans the same opportunity to succeed in the workplace.”

Daines saw the ruling in significantly different terms and issued the following statement.

“I am disappointed by the Supreme Court’s ruling today. Marriage, as the union of one man and one woman, matters for our children, and I remain a strong believer in defending the family. While I do not agree with the Court’s ruling concerning the application of federal benefits, I am encouraged that the Court did not rule against states’ rights, ensuring that the voice of the people, not a ruling from a court, is the driving force behind marriage laws in Montana and the other states.”

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