Supreme Court strikes down DOMA: What it means for gay marriage

DOMA — signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 — prevented same-couples from receiving the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples. President Barack Obama advocated a repeal of the law during his 2008 presidential campaign, and his administration publicly declared section 3 of the law as unconstitutional in a 2011 statement by Attorney General Eric Holder.

After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny. The President has also concluded that section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases.”

President Obama cheered the decision.

“This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law,” he said in a statement.

SCOTUS on California’s Prop 8

The SCOTUS also weighed in on California’s controversial Prop 8 on Wednesday, ruling by a 5–4 vote that the traditional marriage supporters who put the measure on the ballot on 2008 did not have the constitutional standing to defend the law in federal court.

“We have never before upheld the standing of a private party to defend the constitutionality of a state statute when state officials have chosen not to,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in the majority opinion. “We decline to do so for the first time here.”

This ruling upholds Judge Vaughn Walker’s 2010 judgment against Prop 8, essentially paving the way for legal gay marriage in the state.