“While I believe that this issue should be decided by the states and by legislatures, not the federal judiciary, I also believe in the rule of law. The state of Georgia is subject to the laws of the United States, and we will follow them.”
— Gov. Nathan Deal
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling affirming the right to marry for LGBT Americans is a groundbreaking victory for Georgia. I am thrilled that all Americans — regardless of where they live — will no longer be denied the right to marry who they love. LGBT individuals will not have to fight for the right to sit next to their partners’ bedside in a hospital, to get family health care coverage, or to have their relationships recognized by immigration laws. This is progress worth celebrating, and I’m hopeful that we will continue to chip away at barriers for LGBT equality until all discrimination is a thing of the past.”
— State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, D-Atlanta
“I believe God put a man a women together for a reason, and I think we should retain those values. This could definitely impact children who are possibly adopted by these couples who will be exposed to an unbalanced relationship.”
— Kennesaw resident Alex Rodriquez, 56, Kennesaw, who was on his way to the Cobb County Courthouse to marry his fiancée
“It’s an overwhelming feeling. We’ll be able to tell our kids one day that the Supreme Court gave us the go and we went and stood up for what we believe in.”
— Taylor Nash, 21, of Loganville, who plans to marry Kelly Martinelli in January
“This is a great day in America. The Supreme Court made the right decision today, a decision that is long overdue. I have said this for a long time, and I am so glad to see that our nation has finally come to this understanding: If two men or two women want to fall in love and get married, it is their business. No government has the right to authorize whom a person should love. And it is better to love than to hate.
“As a nation, we cannot say we are committed to equality if we do not mandate equality for every citizen. You cannot have equality for some in America and not equality for all. This is another major step down a very long road toward the realization of a fair and just society. We should embrace the decision of the United States Supreme Court. It is now the law of the land.”
— U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta
“Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court serves only as further encouragement to use the court system as a systematic springboard to enact agendas outside the democratic and legislative structures of government. Thirty states have held statewide ballots banning gay marriage since the year 2000, and yet legislating from the bench has superseded both public approval and our elected representatives. This is not only a sad day for marriage, but a further judicial destruction of our entire system of checks and balances.”
— U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Roswell
“I am disappointed that the court has overstepped its boundaries once again. Many states have already voted to keep the definition of marriage to one man and one woman, and the court’s decision is a gross infringement on American democracy. The court should not have circumvented the will of the people, but as we saw with the King v. Burwell decision yesterday, they are more interested in legislating from the bench than letting the will of the people determine what our laws are going to be. Because this decision has robbed the American people of their freedom of choice, I strongly support a constitutional amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman.”
— U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville
“Today’s historic Supreme Court ruling means all Americans — regardless of their gender or gender identity — have the right to marry the person they love. It also reaffirms equal protection under the law in accordance with the 14th Amendment. We are all more free when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love.”
— U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia
“The threat to religious liberty represented by this decision is clear, present, and inevitable. Assurances to the contrary, the majority in this decision has placed every religious institution in legal jeopardy if that institution intends to uphold its theological convictions limiting marriage to the union of a man and a woman. This threat is extended to every religious citizen or congregation that would uphold the convictions held by believers for millennia.”
— R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Today the nation’s highest court has concluded that the Constitution guarantees a nationwide right to same-sex marriage. In the days ahead, whatever your position, I ask you to keep close to your heart and lips the word of Scripture, that ‘God is love.’ Christ’s church is transpolitical … above all earthly partisanship. Therefore, if love has won even a small victory today, then let us rejoice.”
— Bishop Robert Wright of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta in a statement
“I am absolutely overjoyed for the Supreme Court’s ruling and the willingness to uphold the values of family. The 14th Amendment requires equal protection under the law — and that should include every citizen, regardless of their sexual orientation. We still have a tremendous amount of work to do to reach full equality, but today’s ruling is a long-fought victory for many of Georgia’s families who can now live their lives with the same legal marriage rights as every other citizen.”
— State Rep. Simone Bell, D-Atlanta, the first openly gay African-American woman elected to a state Legislature
“This week the (Supreme Court) has declared war against state sovereignty and has caused a major crack in the foundation of the Union.”
— State Rep. Kevin Cooke, R-Carrollton
“In June, thousands of couples will have a chance to marry, but in July, 50 percent of those couples will be at risk of being fired from their jobs.
“Though we have this marriage ruling, it does not take away from fact that in today’s society you can be fired for being gay.”
— Ryan Roemerman, 32, interim executive director of the LGBT Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights
“The decision by this Supreme Court to redefine marriage contrary to global and historical understandings of the word no more settles the national debate on marriage than the court’s Roe v. Wade decision over 40 years ago settled the national debate on abortion. To think otherwise is simply naive.”
— Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, an Atlanta-based conservative public policy organization
“It’s disappointing for people who believe in the rule of law, whether that result is popular or not. This decision departs from the rule of law. It’s like something I would expect to happen during a special audience session, not something I’d expect to hear from a judge.”
— State Sen. Josh, McKoon, R-Columbus
“While we celebrate this crucial step toward achieving our vision of equality, we must also realize that our work is not complete. We must ensure that love is never a barrier to success and that no one is ever fired, evicted, or denied service simply for being who they are. I am confident that the people of Atlanta will continue to lead the way as we work toward becoming a more just state and nation.”
— Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed
“How many people weren’t able to see their spouse in the hospital yesterday — you know that happened somewhere in America — and today we can marry.”
— Sylvia O’Connell of Decatur, who, along with Annie Dollarhide, obtained the second marriage license issued Friday at the DeKalb County Courthouse
“I’m a lesbian, but I can’t see myself marrying the same sex. … I grew up very religious. I know what the Bible says.”
— Sonya Harvey, 40, of Marietta
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