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WATCH: Bobby Jindal Wants a Federal Marriage Amendment Too

WATCH: Bobby Jindal Wants a Federal Marriage Amendment Too

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The Louisiana governor and possible 2016 GOP presidential hopeful says if the Supreme Court strikes down his state's marriage ban, he's all for amending the U.S. Constitution.

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Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal is already looking for a "plan B" in case his state's ban on same-sex marriage is struck down by a federal court, and it involves amending the U.S. Constitution.

Responding to a question from George Stephanopolous on ABC's This Week about the fate of Louisiana's voter-approved marriage ban, Jindal pointed to a fellow far-right Republican who recently proposed drastic measures to stop the legal advance of marriage equality.

"I am proud that in Louisiana we define marriage as between a man and a woman," Jindal said Sunday. "If the Supreme Court were to throw out our law, our constitutional amendment -- I hope they wouldn't do that -- if they were to do that, I certainly support [Texas senator] Ted Cruz and others that are talking about making ... a [federal] constitutional amendment to allow states to continue to define marriage."

Jindal's remarks allude to Senator Cruz's recently confirmed intentions to introduce a federal marriage amendment that would ban same-sex marriage nationwide, even though such an effort would likely be dead on arrival, needing approval from two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and then three-quarters of U.S. state legislatures. The 36 states (plus the District of Columbia) that currently embrace marriage equality have an estimated 70 percent of the country's population, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

As for Jindal's assertion that the Supreme Court may strike down Louisiana's marriage ban, that isn't quite accurate. The Supreme Court recently declined to hear a pending marriage case out of Louisiana, likely because a lower court was slated to hear the case the same day. A three-judge panel from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on marriage bans in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi earlier this month, and initial reports suggested the court could strike down laws in all three states. A ruling could be handed down at any time.

When Jindal wasn't opining on ways to keep committed same-sex couples in Louisiana from marrying this weekend, he was headlining a conservative prayer rally at Louisiana State University colloquially known as "The Response," which many believe may effectively serve to kick off his 2016 presidential bid. Although the event was supposedly apolitical in nature, Rachel Maddow highlighted the radical, antigay figures speaking at the event alongside Jindal. And Right Wing Watch covered the event extensively, reporting on the "oddly political non-political prayer rally" and breaking down "the real problems" with Jindal and his rally, which was open only to Christians and organized by a state affiliate of the American Family Association, deemed an anti-LGBT hate group by the progressive Southern Poverty Law Center.

Watch Jindal's remarks on ABC's This Week below.

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Sunnivie Brydum

Sunnivie is the managing editor of The Advocate, and an award-winning journalist whose passion is covering the politics of equality and elevating the unheard stories of our community. Originally from Colorado, she and her spouse now live in Los Angeles, along with their three fur-children: dogs Luna and Cassie Doodle, and "Meow Button" Tilly.
Sunnivie is the managing editor of The Advocate, and an award-winning journalist whose passion is covering the politics of equality and elevating the unheard stories of our community. Originally from Colorado, she and her spouse now live in Los Angeles, along with their three fur-children: dogs Luna and Cassie Doodle, and "Meow Button" Tilly.