Sen. Tammy Baldwin Attends Gay Marriage Arguments in U.S. Supreme Court

For the second straight day, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments on same-sex marriage and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin was in the courtroom for the proceedings.

Since 1996, the federal government has defined marriage as between a man and a woman, but depending on the outcome of two challenges that could change.

“This is a historic week in the U.S. Supreme Court, where they will hear two important cases on marriage equality,” Baldwin, the first openly gay U.S. senator, said in a statement. “Our country has made great progress since I first entered public service and was elected to political office in 1986. 

"Over time, we have all seen with clarity that our nation is moving forward on issues of equal opportunity and fairness with a growing number of Americans supporting marriage equality," she added. "People’s views are changing because they believe that gay family members, friends, and neighbors deserve to be treated like everyone else in the United States.”

On Wednesday morning, Baldwin tweeted a photo of herself entering the Supreme Court building.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard a challenge to California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage. On Wednesday, the justices heard arguments in a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, according to ABC News, which was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996 and defined marriage as heterosexual and denied federal benefits to gay couples in the nine states where gay marriage is legal.

At Wednesday's hearing, a majority of the justices appeared to be leaning toward striking down the federal law, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Baldwin said:

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court will listen to arguments in cases that will decide whether our country becomes more equal, not less. The court will decide whether gay American citizens can continue to be discriminated against simply because of who they love. I look forward to being a witness to history (on Wednesday) as I am excited to have a chance to attend the U.S. Supreme Court proceedings.

With these two historic cases, America’s highest court will have an opportunity to reflect the progress we have all witnessed across our country. They will have an opportunity to reaffirm our founding belief that all Americans are created equal under the law.”

After hearing challenges in the two cases, the high court could issue a ruling on same-sex marriage by the end of June.

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