Defense of Marriage Act

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Winning Streak Broken: Judge Upholds State's Gay Marriage Ban

Louisiana ruling will be appealed

(Newser) - A federal judge upheld Louisiana's ban on same-sex marriages yesterday, a rare loss for gay marriage supporters who had won more than 20 consecutive rulings overturning bans in other states. US District Judge Martin Feldman also upheld the state's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages performed legally in other...

Obama Makes Gay Marriage More Like Straight Marriage

A host of federal benefits to be extended to same-sex couples

(Newser) - The White House is rolling out a slew of reforms today that will extend to same-sex married couples many of the federal benefits long reserved for straight couples. And in "almost all instances," the couples will get those benefits whether the state they live in recognizes same-sex marriage...

The Courts Have Spoken: Gay Marriage Is a Done Deal

Equality is 18-0 since the DOMA decision, David Cohen and Dahlia Lithwick observe

(Newser) - A federal court struck down Virginia's same-sex marriage ban yesterday, and with that blow, David Cohen and Dahlia Lithwick at Slate are ready to call the fight. "It's Over: Gay Marriage Can't Lose in the Courts," their headline declares. When the Supreme Court overturned the...

Cruz Bill Calls Out Feds for 'Forcing Gay Marriage'

He introduces legislation to bolster states' rights

(Newser) - Ted Cruz has introduced legislation in the Senate aimed at stopping the Obama administration "from forcing gay marriage on all 50 states," reports the Washington Post . Cruz and co-sponsor Mike Lee say the White House has gone too far in extending federal benefits to gay couples— like so...

Judge: Kentucky Must Recognize Gay Marriages

Court rules state's ban unconstitutional

(Newser) - Kentucky must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, a federal judge ruled today, striking down a 2004 amendment to Kentucky's constitution. "It is clear that Kentucky's laws treat gay and lesbian persons differently in a way that demeans them," Judge John Heyburn said, citing the...

6 States Defy Pentagon on Gay Military Benefits

Couples being forced to travel to federal bases to get ID card needed for benefits

(Newser) - In 44 states, the gay spouse of an active-duty National Guard member can register for a military spouse ID card at his or her partner's base and begin getting federal marriage benefits. But in six states, it's not so easy. As the New York Times explains, bases in...

Texas, Mississippi Won't Honor Troops' Gay Marriage Benefits

Meanwhile, a new same-sex marriage battle brewing in New Mexico

(Newser) - Texas and Mississippi are defying a Defense Department directive (and a Supreme Court ruling ) granting full benefits to troops in same-sex marriages, by denying those benefits to their respective national guards. In a statement yesterday, the commander of Texas' guard said that the federal rule violates Texas' "Family...

Memo: Gay Troops to Get 10 Days of Leave to Marry

As part of proposed Pentagon plan to extend benefits to same-sex couples

(Newser) - Now that the Supreme Court has overturned the Defense of Marriage Act , the Pentagon is reviewing a plan that would extend full marriage benefits to same-sex couples by the end of this month, according to a draft memo from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel outlining the proposal obtained yesterday by the...

As DOMA Dies, Hopes Rise for Gay Divorce

State laws have left many stuck in marriages they can't end

(Newser) - The Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act has raised hopes for couples trapped in marriages that they cannot end because the state they live in doesn't accept they exist, the New York Times finds. "I didn’t realize this could potentially be...

Gay Marriage Fight Isn't Over
 Gay Marriage Fight Isn't Over 
OPINION
Jun 26, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Gay Marriage Fight Isn't Over

Pundits applaud decision, point out its limitations

(Newser) - The Supreme Court's gay marriage rulings have pretty much everyone talking and typing. Many liberals are overjoyed, but others urge caution, while conservatives look for silver linings. Here's what people are saying:
  • "This may be remembered as the day when the nation stopped regarding gay people as
...

Huckabee on DOMA Case: 'Jesus Wept'
Huckabee on DOMA Case: 'Jesus Wept'
OPINION
Jun 26, 2013 12:20 PM CDT

Huckabee on DOMA Case: 'Jesus Wept'

And other reactions from the right to today's Supreme Court ruling

(Newser) - Liberals who were just yesterday decrying the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act decision are today singing from the rafters over the defeat of the Defense of Marriage Act . Conservatives, meanwhile, are wailing and gnashing their teeth—and here's some of the most notable and/or over-the-top examples:
  • Mike Huckabee,
...

High Court Strikes Down DOMA
 High Court Strikes Down DOMA 
UPDATED
Jun 26, 2013 9:28 AM CDT

High Court Strikes Down DOMA

Broad ruling declares marriage benefits a matter of equal protection

(Newser) - The Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act today, in a broad ruling arguing that it violates the Constitution's equal protection clause. The decision was 5-4, with Anthony Kennedy joining the court's more liberal justices (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan), and...

History Cometh: Supreme Court to Rule on Gay Marriage

A primer in advance of today's decisions

(Newser) - It's a day for the history books: Two landmark Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage are coming today, something we know with certainty because it's the last day of the term. The justices will convene at 10am ET and issue their rulings shortly thereafter, reports the New York ...

Court Sounds Skeptical About DOMA

Kennedy seems concerned that it violates states' rights

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has concluded its oral arguments on the Defense of Marriage Act (the second half of its gay marriage double bill ), and most observers think things are looking bad for the 1996 law; in a tweet , SCOTUSblog predicted that the court was "80% likely to strike...

Nate Silver: We'll Have Gay Marriage Before 2020

Support has been rising steadily for 9 years, he finds

(Newser) - The second of two landmark gay rights cases is before the Supreme Court today, but supporters of marriage equality can take heart even if the decisions don't go their way, says New York Times stats whiz Nate Silver. Support for gay marriage hasn't surged recently, he finds, but...

Landmark Gay Rights Cases Head for Supreme Court

Calif. gay marriage ban before court tomorrow

(Newser) - The gay marriage debate moves to the Supreme Court this week, where justices will hear arguments for and against the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8 ban tomorrow. The federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, will be before the court...

Why We Must End DOMA
 Bill Clinton: 
 Why We Must 
 End DOMA 
OPINION
Mar 8, 2013 4:30 AM CST

Bill Clinton: Why We Must End DOMA

Ex-president calls on Supreme Court to reject law he signed

(Newser) - The Supreme Court is preparing to take up the Defense of Marriage Act—and the very president who signed it is urging justices to strike it down. DOMA came at "a very different time" in US history, writes Bill Clinton in a Washington Post editorial. No state recognized same-sex...

Obama Approach 'Exactly' Right on Gay Marriage
Obama Approach 'Exactly' Right on Gay Marriage
opinion
Mar 1, 2013 1:50 PM CST

Obama Approach 'Exactly' Right on Gay Marriage

Andrew Sullivan thinks Justice Department is wise to make 'modest' arguments

(Newser) - Andrew Sullivan may be a big believer in marriage equality, but he also thinks it is a policy best pursued through legislative means, not the courts. Which is why he thinks the Obama administration is taking "exactly the right approach" in joining the Supreme Court cases over Prop 8...

White House Brief Makes Strong Case for Gay Rights

Urges Supreme Court to kill DOMA, suggests Obama will weigh in on Prop 8 case, too

(Newser) - The White House looks poised to make a robust defense of gay marriage before the Supreme Court. The first step came yesterday when the Justice Department filed a legal brief urging the court to declare the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, reports CNN . DOMA defines a marriage as a union...

Pentagon Extends Benefits to Same-Sex Couples

But DOMA prevents it from going all the way, Leon Panetta says

(Newser) - The Pentagon has decided to begin extending to same-sex partners many of the same benefits it offers married couples, Leon Panetta announced today. "It is a matter of fundamental equity that we provide similar benefits to all of those men and women in uniform who serve their country,"...

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