New Hampshire passes legislation to protect interracial marriage

New Hampshire passes measure to protect interracial marriage

 

 

It’s official! Lawmakers in New Hampshire have passed a bill to codify protections for interracial marriage. Called ‘The Marital Freedom Act,' this measure amends the state’s ‘Equal Access to Marriage’ law to include protections for race.

 

Governor Sununu signed the legislation into law on May 4th. The amendment becomes effective 60 days after passage (July 3rd, 2023). 

 

Read the updated statute:

 

New Hampshire Revised Statutes 457:1-a  

 

Equal Access to Marriage.  Marriage is the legally recognized union of 2 people. Any person who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements of this chapter may marry any other eligible person regardless of gender or race. Each party to a marriage shall be designated "bride," "groom," or "spouse."

 

• See all New Hampshire marriage laws here

 

Although interracial marriage is already legal in New Hampshire (and across the U.S.), lawmakers there recognized the need to enact explicit protections for marriage rights at the state level, following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v Wade last year. 

 

Like Roe v Wade, the two rulings that protect interracial marriage (Loving v Virginia) and same-sex marriage (Obergefell v Hodges) at the federal level rely on the Court’s interpretation and application of the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. If the Court were to reverse it's opinion on these vital cases in the coming years, as it did with Roe v Wade, any state bans against interracial marriage or same-sex marriage still on the books would become enforceable. 

 

Related: What overturning Roe v Wade could mean for Marriage Equality

 

Couples who live in states that explicitly protect marriage equality would not be impacted, however – now including New Hampshire! Lawmakers in New Jersey also introduced legislation this year to protect interracial marriage, and similar legislation to guarantee same-sex marriage rights has been introduced in Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, and elsewhere. 

 

• Read the full text of the HB240 here. 

 

...

 

 

 

Get Ordained Online & Officiate Weddings! 

 

Read How to Become a Wedding Officiant in New Hampshire

 

Conviértete en un Oficiante de Bodas en New Hampshire
 

Friends and family members can perform legal weddings in New Hampshire if they've been ordained online. Ordination with American Marriage Ministries is inclusive, free, easy, and fast. Click the link below to get started and learn how to officiate weddings today. 

 

• Get ordained online with AMM here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

Read Next: 

 

• Perez v. Sharp: The 1948 Win for Interracial Marriage that Changed Everything
   
• When was same-sex marriage legalized in the U.S.? Is it legal in all 50 states?
   
• How to Get Married in New Hampshire - Planning a Wedding in the Granite State
   

 

Planning a New Hampshire wedding? This short guide will help -- from finding an officiant to completing the marriage license. Read the full article here. 
 

 

---