A resolution urging the United States Supreme Court to restore the definition of marriage to a union between one man and one woman.
House Resolution 5001 is a nonbinding memorial resolution that urges the United States Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges and restore the legal definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The resolution argues that the Obergefell decision conflicts with the U.S. Constitution, exceeds judicial authority, and undermines traditional understandings of liberty, dignity, and religious freedom.
The resolution also calls for marriage policy and enforcement of marriage laws to be returned to the states and the people, reflecting a states’ rights framing. It does not amend North Dakota statutes or create new state-law requirements; instead, it expresses the House’s position and directs the Secretary of State to transmit the resolution to the U.S. Supreme Court.
HR 5001 would have no direct effect on North Dakota statutory law because it is a resolution, not a bill creating or changing state code. Its practical impact is symbolic and political: it states the House’s opposition to Obergefell v. Hodges, advocates for a return to state control over marriage law, and seeks to place North Dakota’s position on record with the U.S. Supreme Court. The resolution primarily affects public policy messaging and the state’s formal stance on same-sex marriage and federal constitutional interpretation.
The available record suggests strong support among the resolution’s sponsors for a traditional definition of marriage and for limiting federal judicial authority. The bill was ultimately withdrawn, and there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided history, so there is no evidence of broader legislative consensus or organized floor debate in the record supplied. Overall, the sentiment reflected in the text is firmly oppositional to same-sex marriage rights as recognized in Obergefell.
The central point of contention is the resolution’s rejection of Obergefell v. Hodges and its call to restore marriage to opposite-sex couples only. Supporters of the resolution frame the issue as one of constitutional originalism, democratic self-government, and religious liberty, while opponents would likely view it as an attempt to roll back marriage equality and disregard settled Supreme Court precedent. The resolution also raises a broader federalism dispute over whether marriage policy should be controlled by states or by constitutional protections enforced nationally.