DOMA Ruled Unconstitutional by Supreme Court

Heard it on TV. No Link yet.

Here it is on the Daily KOS, but I can't get it to open. Too busy, I guess.

m.dailykos.com...

The Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law allowing Federal and state governments to discriminate against legally married same-sex couples, is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has ruled. It's a 5-4 ruling. Roberts and Scalia and dissent. Kennedy has written the ruling. The focus is equal protection.

legaltimes.typepad.com...

This means that married gay people in states that approve gay marriage will now get federal benefits that they have previously been denied.

Woo-Hoo!

"5-4: DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment." Source - scotusblog.com.

WOOOOO!!!!!!

My phone blew up with all the AP/RT/local news agencies trying to get the information out first. I thought we had been invaded by cuba or something.

Took them long enough to figure this one out.

PDF of the decision from the Supreme Court..

PDF LINK

Here we go. Some info about the ruling and the law itself for anyone not up to speed on what DOMA is.
www.thedailybeast.com...

In the first of two decisions on gay marriage, the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage. In a 5-4 decision written by Justice Kennedy, the court ruled that DOMA is an unconstitutional deprivation of equal liberty, a violation of the Fifth Amendment. The ruling will allow federal benefits--tax breaks, insurance for government employees--to couples in the 12 states and D.C. that already recognize same-sex marriage.

Hurray for equal rights!

Good for equal rights! Old Testament, Abrahamic laws and thinking have no place in today's world!

I'll be the first to say it.

Let the moral fabric of this country continue to unwind.

correction, i guess it only Allows gays to have the same benefits in states that allow gay marrige. but still makes gay marrige a state issue?

so is gay marrige still a state issue?


President Bill Clinton signs the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage as between a man and a woman for federal purposes.

Damn those evil conservative bible thumpers ......... oh wait.

Finally!

Now everybody, on both sides of this issue can just shut up already. Hopefully all the states pass the same sex legislation before the year is out and the Fed doesn't try to hold up the court ruling with paperwork for the next ten years.

Did the opponents advise they would be appealing? Or is that not possible at the SCOTUS level?

In any case, those who argued against this for so long: Neener, neener, neener.

~Tenth

Originally posted by camaro68ss
Let the moral fabric of this country continue to unwind.

Lol. How do you figure that?

Havent finished reading the ruling yet but it sounds like all its doing is extending federal "benefits" like joint filing and federal employee spousal benefits to couples married in states that have acknowledged gay marriage but does nothing to affect states which do not acknowledge gay marriage.

It's worth noting again that the issues that brought this to court, namely the death tax, wouldnt have been issues at all if government wasnt involving itself in the private lives of people in the first place....but I digress.

It may not be the full package yet, but at least it is a giant leap towards even more equality for those who choose a different lifestyle.

reply to post by camaro68ss


I'd think the moral fabric of this country just strengthened since now there is more equality for people who are different than you and I. That is unless you subscribe to backwards thinking like the church seems to push.

This line of thinking has always baffled me: Being gay is immoral. Therefore a gay person has to choose from being immoral or to lie to themselves and try to have a hetero relationship. Therefore in order for the country to have good morals, a good percentage of the population is either immoral or unhappy. Logical breakdown.

The world didn't end did it?

Did everyone spontaneously stop pursuing heterosexual relations and now we face the decline and eventual extinction of the human race?

Yep, didn't think so

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Havent finished reading the ruling yet but it sounds like all its doing is extending federal "benefits" like joint filing and federal employee spousal benefits to couples married in states that have acknowledged gay marriage but does nothing to affect states which do not acknowledge gay marriage.

It's worth noting again that the issues that brought this to court, namely the death tax, wouldnt have been issues at all if government wasnt involving itself in the private lives of people in the first place....but I digress.

edit on 26-6-2013 by thisguyrighthere because: (no reason given)

Im good with that.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

This means that married gay people in states that approve gay marriage will now get federal benefits that they have previously been denied.

This right here is why I have a problem with marriage. Why should any company or government give benefits to married people? Can anybody answer me this?

Maybe I should get double the benefits because I remain single and don't tax the system as much.

reply to post by TDawgRex

Maybe I should get double the benefits because I remain single and don't tax the system as much.

Married couples pay MORE tax than you do. So if you'd like some equality in that sense, pony up another 5 or 10% of your income .

As for why you should get benefits, there's no reason you "should", other than the fact that since the public government decided to create an institution in the form of a marriage licence, they need to provide that service to ALL legal adults who which to participate in such contracts.

Had they never created such a thing in the first place, this whole debate would have never happened.

~Tenth

Originally posted by TDawgRex

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

This means that married gay people in states that approve gay marriage will now get federal benefits that they have previously been denied.

This right here is why I have a problem with marriage. Why should any company or government give benefits to married people? Can anybody answer me this?

Maybe I should get double the benefits because I remain single and don't tax the system as much.

edit on 26-6-2013 by TDawgRex because: Just a ETA

Well that logic actually kind of works.

Oh how I wish we could abuse the system as much as these parasites have.

Originally posted by amazing
Good for equal rights! Old Testament, Abrahamic laws and thinking have no place in today's world!

Really?

Do not murder. Do not steal. Don't sleep with your neighbor's husband/wife. Don't murder. Respect your parents. Respect your elders. Do not charge interest to your fellow citizen. Give to the poor and needy. Support orphans. Support widows. Take care of the Earth and it's inhabitants. Drink wine and eat BBQ. Take a day off every seven days. Take a year off every seven years. All debts are cancelled every seven years. Don't have intercourse with your family members. Don't have intercourse with animals.


No place in today's world!

Originally posted by Shimri

Originally posted by amazing
Good for equal rights! Old Testament, Abrahamic laws and thinking have no place in today's world!

Really?

Do not murder. Do not steal. Don't sleep with your neighbor's husband/wife. Don't murder. Respect your parents. Respect your elders. Do not charge interest to your fellow citizen. Give to the poor and needy. Support orphans. Support widows. Take care of the Earth and it's inhabitants. Drink wine and eat BBQ. Take a day off every seven days. Take a year off every seven years. All debts are cancelled every seven years. Don't have intercourse with your family members. Don't have intercourse with animals.


No place in today's world!

edit on 26-6-2013 by Shimri because: (no reason given)

Yeah, but I know atheists that live by similar rules. Lol. The problem with Old Testament views are that there is so much garbage and hate mixed in with all the good stuff. We don't need that.