via Defense Should Give it a Rest.
In day two of the Supreme Court hearings on issues related to the legalities surrounding gay marriage and partnerships, the focus was on the Defense of Marriage Act. Several of the justices raised concerns about DOMA. Justice Kagan brought up the fact that the law itself was accompanied by a House report suggesting that Congress was passing it to express “a moral disapproval of homosexuality.” And the LA Times summarized a key point made by Justice Ginsburg: “Marriage affects ‘every aspect of life.’ For the federal government to say that some legally married couples deserve benefits and others don’t ‘diminishes what the state says is marriage.’ Couples would be left with ‘full marriage’ on the one hand and ‘skim-milk marriage,’ on the other.” Let’s hope that this kind of intellectual cream finally rises to the top.
+ To understand the DOMA case, you need to know the story of Edith Windsor and her partner of 42 years.
Edith Windsor, 83, is mobbed by journalists and supporters as she leaves the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Windsor brought the case challenging the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images /March 27, 2013)
+ Here is an audio version of today’s oral arguments.
+ Here’s the transcript:
