The Supreme Court issued historic rulings on two landmark cases today regarding gay marriage and equal rights. The announcements this morning sent out waves of celebration across the United States as supporters of marriage rights found themselves another step closer to recognized equality.
In U.S. v. Windsor, the Court voted 5-4 to strike down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that denies legally married same-sex couples the same benefits as opposite-sex couples; DOMA defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. After her wife died in 2009, Edith Windsor inherited her wife’s property but faced a hefty estate tax bill because the IRS was not allowed to regard Windsor as a spouse per the 1996 law; Windsor consequently sued the federal government. In a divided vote, the Supreme Court declared Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment.
In Hollingsworth v. Perry, a less straightforward case, the Court dismissed an appeal on California’s Proposition 8, paving the way for the West Coast state to resume same sex marriages. In 2008, a California voter initiative banned same-sex marriage in the state. One year later, the case on Proposition 8 was filed on behalf of two same-sex couples who wanted to marry. A judge in San Francisco struck down Proposition 8, but the decision was stayed as proponents of the voter-approved ballot measure appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where the three judge panel likewise upheld the decision made by the district court declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional. Proponents appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the divided judges ruled that the private parties who defended Proposition 8 did not have standing.
Both of today’s rulings, however, left laws intact banning same-sex marriage across the country. The court also refused to address whether there is a constitutional right to same sex marriage.
Sources
CNN
Supreme Court strikes down federal provision on same-sex marriage benefits
Supreme Court dismisses California's Proposition 8 appeal
The New York Times
Supreme Court Bolsters Gay Marriage With Two Major Rulings