[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10594]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1240
                            JUSTICE PREVAILS

  (Mrs. DAVIS of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, our amazing, time-traveling 
Supreme Court has truly surprised me this week. It was able to take us 
back to the 1960s on Tuesday and to step into the 21st century the next 
day by striking down DOMA.
  Yesterday's ruling was a long-overdue affirmation that married same-
sex couples deserve the same Federal benefits as everyone else. It's a 
major step towards marriage equality. But this victory comes on the 
heels of a dangerous blow to voting rights. On Tuesday, the Court 
struck down a provision that has been vital to guaranteeing the right 
to vote for all Americans. The Voting Rights Act is a crucial guard 
against States backsliding on the progress of the civil rights 
movement, and we must now work to restore its protections.
  The struggle for voting rights and marriage equality are not so 
different. Both have been long fights with victories hard won. And in 
each we have seen freedoms and progress once thought impossible become 
inevitable. Yet even as we celebrate a victory for marriage equality, 
the Voting Rights Act ruling shows us that we cannot take these gains 
for granted, that maintaining these liberties requires constant 
vigilance and continued advocacy.
  These fights are far from over; but in time, I know we will succeed. 
In the words of Dr. King: The arc of the moral universe is long, but it 
bends toward justice.

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