But PA isn’t CA, and that wasn’t the reason the anti-gay folks lost in CA anyway. The suit filed against PA lists a number of state and county officers, so there should be no problem with standing nor finding someone to defend the PA DOMA law.
While much of the focus on the upcoming Supreme Court’s review of Same-sex Marriage cases has focused on the Court’s hearing of the Repeal of California’s Prop 8, a law that banned same-sex that case is important,but the marriage after it was already lawful in that state. However, it is the other case before SCOTUS, that is likely to impact same-sex couples in Pennsylvania the most. In that case, Windsor v CCCC, the Court is[Read More…]
From the SCOTUSBlog: The Court has announced that it will review the constitutionality of both the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. The Court did not act today on the petition involving a challenge to Arizona’s Section O.
Saw this on NPR. Does anyone know how the congressional group seeking appeal is called “bipartisan”? I thought it was all GOP? Leave a comment and fill me in on the missing details. In 2010, a federal judge in Massachusetts, where gay marriage is legal, declared a key section of the law unconstitutional. Judge Joseph Tauro found that the law interferes with the right of a state to define marriage and denies married gay couples[Read More…]
[Emphasis added is mine] A group of congressional Republicans defending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) will appeal this week’s District Court ruling against the law to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Earlier this week, District Judge Jeffrey White, a George W. Bush appointee, found DOMA violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause because it denied benefits to gay and lesbian couples. Some justices on the Ninth Circuit have previously ruled that the[Read More…]
Now Boner Boy Boehner wasn’t born yesterday, and he has been in the House for a while. It isn’t like the rules about how things are done are secretive or he didn’t have a chance to pay attention to them. I can accept that he feels the House should defend DOMA. I don’t personally agree, but I can intellectually understand how he arrives at that position. and that is one reason we have courts- so that people who see things differently can seek a legal judgement. But here is the thing. When the GOP gained power in the House, they were placed in the position that they had to start to act like adults and actually lead.
NOM must care about the Federal DOMA because once it falls, their attempt to maintain discrimination against same-sex couples will be essentially over. Even now, their battle is futile at best. Enough states support same-sex relationships, but as long as there is no Federal recognition of those relationships, these couples are still second class citizens.
How can this conservative movement claim to be all about the budget and cutting spending and yet, agree to pay an outside lawyer $520 per hour? It accentuates what many of us have been saying all along, that the Tea Party is a small (but loud) group of folks who are being used by the Republican Party which really only cares about Social conservatism and issues that harm the poor, women, and other marginalized people like the LGBT community.
“[DOMA] clearly violates the constitution.” So this lawyer says so clearly that this law violates the constitution! How amazing is that; yet the GOP is still considering appealing the cases and defending DOMA.
The link below is to Joe.My.God, although  everything from there is also here, and some more. Family Research Council head bigot Tony Perkins is once again making the Baby Jeebus cry by telling the American Family Association radio audience that President Obama has “unilaterally decided not to enforce DOMA.” If fact, as we all know, the president has merely decided not to defend DOMA and its full enforcement remains in effect. Joe.My.God uses the image[Read More…]