With more than half of Americans in a recent poll accepting same-sex marriage, gays and lesbians need no judicial protection from laws passed by Congress, House Republicans argued in a San Francisco court in defense of a law denying federal benefits to same-sex spouses.

"Homosexuals have a great deal of political power" and are not entitled to the safeguards that courts have established for laws that discriminate against racial minorities or women, attorney Paul Clement said Friday in a filing supporting the Defense of Marriage Act.