Landmark Texas Sodomy Case Slips Perry's Mind

Rick Perry drew a blank yesterday when asked about a Supreme Court landmark decision that struck down Texas' anti-sodomy law during his time as governor. Perry—who defended the law ahead of the Lawrence vs Texas case, and mentioned it in his latest book—said he didn't know about the case when an audience member at an Iowa campaign stop asked him how his support of the law squared with his support of limited government, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

“I wish I could tell you I knew every Supreme Court case. I don’t,” Perry said. “We can sit here and play I-gotcha questions on 'What about this Supreme Court case?' or whatever, but let me tell you, you know and I know that the problem in this country is spending in Washington, it’s not some Supreme Court case." The 2003 decision effectively legalized same-sex sexual activity in Texas, although the state has kept its now-unenforceable "homosexual activity" law on the books. (More Texas stories.)