Why the GOP should want to lose the Supreme Court's gay-marriage cases

A sweeping ruling affirming marriage equality would do the GOP a huge political favor

By affirming marriage equality, the Supreme Court could be doing the GOP a solid.
(Image credit: Getty Images/Mark Wilson)

Most members of the Republican Party hope that the Supreme Court will not use the two gay-marriage cases it heard this week to issue a broad ruling affirming the constitutional right of gays and lesbians to marry. However, top officials in the GOP are reportedly praying for precisely that outcome, calculating that it would be the most effective way to remove gay marriage as a political liability.

Republican analysts see the party's opposition to gay marriage as a massive drag on their electoral prospects going forward. A solid majority of Americans now support marriage equality, and most worryingly for the GOP, more than 80 percent of young voters do as well. The Republican National Committee has described gay marriage as a "gateway" issue for a whole generation of new voters to identify with the Democratic Party, possibly doing lasting damage to the conservative party's brand.

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.