Idaho Lawmakers Push to Overturn Gay Marriage Ruling

State legislature introduces request to Supreme Court to reverse 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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The Idaho House of Representatives has introduced a joint memorial calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage across the country. The measure, sponsored by Republican Rep. Tony Wisniewski, argues that the government should not have the power to define marriage, which the legislator claims is the "fundamental building block of society."

Why it matters

This effort to challenge the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling reflects ongoing political and cultural tensions around LGBTQ+ rights in conservative states like Idaho. While the 2015 decision established marriage equality nationwide, some lawmakers continue to push for its reversal, raising concerns about the potential rollback of hard-won civil rights protections.

The details

The joint memorial introduced in the Idaho House would formally request that the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which found that states must recognize marriages between same-sex couples. The measure argues that the government did not create families or marriage, and that the "complementary natures of a father and a mother" are essential to the stability of the family and society. The House State Affairs Committee approved the introduction of the memorial, clearing the way for a full public hearing.

  • In 2006, Idaho voters approved a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
  • In 2014, a federal judge ruled Idaho's constitutional amendment unconstitutional, legalizing gay marriage in the state a year before the nationwide Obergefell decision.
  • In 2025, the Idaho House previously approved a very similar memorial calling for the Supreme Court to reverse its same-sex marriage ruling, but it did not advance in the Senate.

The players

Rep. Tony Wisniewski

A Republican state legislator from Post Falls, Idaho, who introduced the joint memorial calling for the Supreme Court to overturn its gay marriage decision.

Rep. Heather Scott

A Republican state legislator from Blanchard, Idaho, who proposed eliminating a sentence in the memorial that referenced the "Anglo-American legal tradition" of marriage.

Rep. Monica Church

A Democratic state legislator from Boise, Idaho, who expressed concern that the reference to "Anglo-American legal tradition" implied that marriage was about "tying a woman to a man because she has no rights as a human-being."

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What’s next

The joint memorial will now return to the House State Affairs Committee for a full public hearing.

The takeaway

This effort to overturn the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling reflects the ongoing political and cultural tensions around LGBTQ+ rights in conservative states like Idaho, where some lawmakers continue to push for the reversal of hard-won civil rights protections.