U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA, Dismisses Prop 8 Appeal
In a historic day for LGBTQ+ rights and equality, the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Majority Opinion was written by Justice Kennedy, who also authored the landmark decisions in Lawrence (2003) and Romer (1996). The Majority Opinion can be found here.
Not only delivering a victory on the federal level, the Supreme Court also held that the proponents of California’s Proposition 8 did not have standing to appeal in federal court. This likely leaves Judge Walker’s trial court opinion in-tact, applying to the entire State, and which was decided on much broader grounds that the Ninth Circuit’s opinion affirming the judgment. Although same-sex marriage is still illegal in a majority of states, it’s a step in the right direction. The Court’s Opinion can be found here.