Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), a member of the Cherokee Nation, is criticizing a federal judge who invalidated Oklahoma's ban on same-sex marriage.

Mullin claims the judge's decision violated the "sovereignty" of the state. "Oklahomans overwhelming voted nearly a decade ago to define in our state’s constitution that marriage is between one man and one woman," he said in a press release.

Section 2 of the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law, allows states and tribes to ignore marriages that may not be legal in their jurisdictions. The Cherokee Nation, the largest tribe in the U.S., has banned same-sex marriages but the judge's decision doesn't appear to have an immediate affect on the tribe's law.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in US v. Windsor, held that Section 3 of the law, which purported to define marriage as a union between "one man" and "one woman," was unconstitutional.

Get the Story:
American Indian Congressman Statement on Marriage Being Declared ‘Unconstitutional (Native News Online 1/15)

Related Stories:
Interview with couple about Cheyenne-Arapaho marriage law (10/29)
Amber Bighorse: Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes make history (10/28)
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes draw attention to marriage law (10/25)
Editorial: Tribe leading way to marriage equality in Oklahoma (10/24)
Same-sex couple plans wedding under Cheyenne-Arapaho law (10/23)
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes recognize same-sex marriages (10/22)