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VA Lawmakers React to DOMA Ruling

Lawmakers in the region are having mixed reactions to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act.

Many Republicans had muted responses to the Court s landmark decision. Not Virginia Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a statement saying he s disappointed and troubled by the ruling.

But Republican member Morgan Griffith says even though he opposes gay marriage, the court's decision to uphold states' rights isn’t the end of the world. "You know the founding fathers set this up to be a situation where each of the republics could experiment with ideas and go forward, everything wasn't supposed to be controlled by Washington."

Same sex marriages are banned in the Commonwealth. Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine says he hopes the governor and state legislators revisit the state s ban. "The amendment that was made to the Virginia Constitution in 2006, I thought it was bad at the time and I feel even more strongly about it now."

Senior Senator Mark Warner says today s ruling will gently prod states like Virginia to approve same sex marriages.  "I think the tide of history is in favor of marriage equality and I think we ll look back and say that this was a day that moved the country forward," he said.

Democrats are urging the Obama Administration to quickly overhaul the federal books because DOMA affected more than one thousand federal statutes.