Real World Event Discussions

Supreme Court issues 5-4 ruling rejecting DOMA !!!

POSTED BY: Niki2
UPDATED: Saturday, June 29, 2013 05:58
VIEWED: 4179
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NIKI2

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 2:51 PM

Quote:
10:08 a.m. ET] From our team in Washington:
Quote:
The Supreme Court has struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, ruling that same-sex spouses legally married in a state may receive federal benefits.

Holy shit, THEY DID IT!!! They STRUCK DOWN DOMA!!

Quote:
Updated at 10:38 a.m. ET] It sounds like we'll be looking into these rulings for a while – Jeffrey Toobin just said the Proposition 8 case was "a puzzling decision."

[Updated at 10:35 a.m. ET] Same-sex marriage can resume in California - that's the result of the Supreme Court ruling just in that dismisses an appeal regarding California's Proposition 8.

From our colleague Bill Mears:

The Supreme Court has dismissed a closely-watched appeal over same-sex marriage on jurisdictional grounds, ruling Wednesday private parties do not have "standing" to defend California's voter-approved ballot measure barring gay and lesbians couples from state-sanctioned wedlock. The ruling permits same-sex couples in California to legally marry. The 5-4 decision avoids for now a sweeping conclusion on whether same-sex marriage is a constitutionally-protected "equal protection" right that would apply to all states. The case is Hollingsworth v. Perry (12-144).

[Updated at 10:30 a.m. ET] New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman told CNN the ruling was a "great win." "“A great win not just for the gay community, it’s a great win for the American tradition of equal justice under the law,” he said.

[Updated at 10:29 a.m. ET] House Speaker John Boehner was just asked about the DOMA case, but he declined comment until he's read the ruling.

[Updated at 10:26 a.m. ET] The ruling on Proposition 8 - California's ban on same-sex marriage - is in.

[Updated at 10:23 a.m. ET] And yes, the president was watching. His Twitter account is calling the DOMA ruling "a historic step forward," though it's not signed with the "bo" that shows he wrote it.

Today's DOMA ruling is a historic step forward for #MarriageEquality. #LoveIsLove
—
Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 26, 2013
[Updated at 10:22 a.m. ET] President Obama was going to be monitoring the rulings on Air Force One as he heads to Senegal, CNN's Jessica Yellin reports.

[Updated at 10:17 a.m. ET] Supporters of same-sex marriage waiting outside the Supreme Court cheered the DOMA decision. Reaction is also coming in from Twitter.

[Updated at 10:15 a.m. ET] Of course we can't draw any conclusions from the DOMA ruling about which way the justices will decide on California's Proposition 8.

[Updated at 10:12 a.m. ET] The justices were split 5-4. The majority ruling was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy. Dissents were written by Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Samuel Alito.

[Updated at 10:09 a.m. ET] Legal expert Jeffrey Toobin puts the ruling in context: "DOMA is gone." http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/26/supreme-court/?hpt=hp_t1

Who'd-a thunk it of this Court?!? Certainly not me...I'm gob-smacked. Pundits were leaning toward them punting on Prop. 8, so that's nice but no big shocker. But DOMA!!!

SIGNYM

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 2:57 PM

On the plus side: Good news!

On the down side: Cheap liberalism. Getting rid of Clinton-era policies on gays (DADT, DOMA) - only affects 10% of the population, if that. It would be more meaningful if liberal policies extended to a significant number of people, like, say... everyone who uses a phone, everyone who would like to work full time at a living wage.

NIKI2

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 3:05 PM

Good luck with that. Me, I'm not holding my breath, and have learned just to be grateful for any lack of steps BACKWARD! ;o) And actual step FORWARD, like this, is worthy of celebration...

M52NICKERSON

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 7:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Good luck with that. Me, I'm not holding my breath, and have learned just to be grateful for any lack of steps BACKWARD! ;o) And actual step FORWARD, like this, is worthy of celebration...

Yes, yes it is!

I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.

GEEZER

Thursday, June 27, 2013 1:19 AM

Good.

Although I'd rather have seen them declare bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional nationwide.

Locally, theres a big service of thanksgiving for this at the Washington National Cathedral.

"When your heart breaks, you choose what to fill the cracks with. Love or hate. But hate won't ever heal. Only love can do that."

JONGSSTRAW

Thursday, June 27, 2013 2:49 AM

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the gay?

The good news is that commodity futures for pillars of salt have dropped dramatically. Winthorpe!

PIRATENEWS

Thursday, June 27, 2013 3:30 AM

Good. Sodomites can now kill each other even faster with HIVD.

Thank Obama the NSA got those tapes of Chief Justice Roberts sodomizing his Log Cabin interns.

KWICKO

Thursday, June 27, 2013 3:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
Good.

Although I'd rather have seen them declare bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional nationwide.

I got the impression they were trying to throw a bone to the "states' rights" contingent by leaving it open. Of course, if a gay couple legally married in New York moves to Utah where the state DOESN'T recognize their marriage, but the federal government DOES, that will open a whole new set of lawsuits challenging the state's right to do so. At that point, federal primacy will likely come to the fore and supersede the state's right to ban something legally recognized at the federal level.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

GEEZER

Thursday, June 27, 2013 12:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
I got the impression they were trying to throw a bone to the "states' rights" contingent by leaving it open. Of course, if a gay couple legally married in New York moves to Utah where the state DOESN'T recognize their marriage, but the federal government DOES, that will open a whole new set of lawsuits challenging the state's right to do so. At that point, federal primacy will likely come to the fore and supersede the state's right to ban something legally recognized at the federal level.

What's gonna be interesting to figure out - and probably the focus of another suit - is that some Federal benefits depend on where you were married, and some depend on where you reside. There's going to be a lot of scrambling at IRS and HHS to develop regulations that comprehensibly cover this new situation.

As an aside, same-sex couples who both earn about the same income may now be hit by the "marriage penalty".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_penalty

About time those deadbeats pay their share. (j/k)

"When your heart breaks, you choose what to fill the cracks with. Love or hate. But hate won't ever heal. Only love can do that."

ROCKETJOCK

Thursday, June 27, 2013 1:54 PM

I note that the reaction of a number of right-wing politicos to the DOMA/Prop 8 decisions was to quote the Bible's shortest verse, IE, "Jesus Wept".

Amusing, as anyone familiar with the quote's context (John 11:35) would know that the tears in question were tears of joy at the upcoming resurrection of Lazarus. Tears of joy at a renewal of hope; seems appropriate to me, but maybe not in the way those quoting intended.

Why is it that the Bible thumpers can't read their own book?

"I do the job. And then I get paid"