• New York appeals court strikes down DOMA
    5 replies, posted
[QUOTE]New York (CNN) -- A federal appeals court in New York on Thursday became the nation's second to deem the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. The divisive Clinton-era law was passed in 1996 and bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages and says states cannot be forced to recognize such marriages from other states. The court determined that the federal law violates the Constitution's equal protection clause. A federal appeals court in Boston made a similar ruling in May, but the moves are considered largely symbolic as the issue is expected to be eventually decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. In February, the Obama administration ordered the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the law. Currently, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and the District of Columbia issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Maryland, Washington, Maine and Minnesota are voting on the issue in November referendums. Five states -- Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island -- currently allow civil unions that provide rights similar to marriage.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/justice/new-york-appeals-court-doma/index.html?hpt=hp_t3"]http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/justice/new-york-appeals-court-doma/index.html?hpt=hp_t3[/URL]
A step in the right direction.
The judge who ruled on it was apparently a Republican-nominated, fairly conservative guy too. This doesn't bode well for the anti-gay bigots.
Good, now we just need the idiots to appeal it so that it goes to the Supreme Court and gets struck down once and for all.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;38090067]The judge who ruled on it was apparently a Republican-nominated, fairly conservative guy too. This doesn't bode well for the anti-gay bigots.[/QUOTE] Actually more conservatives support gay marriage than you or I think: "Many of my fellow conservatives have an almost knee-jerk hostility toward gay marriage. This does not make sense, because same-sex unions promote the values conservatives prize. Marriage is one of the basic building blocks of our neighborhoods and our nation. At its best, it is a stable bond between two individuals who work to create a loving household and a social and economic partnership. We encourage couples to marry because the commitments they make to one another provide benefits not only to themselves but also to their families and communities. Marriage requires thinking beyond one's own needs. It transforms two individuals into a union based on shared aspirations, and in doing so establishes a formal investment in the well-being of society. The fact that individuals who happen to be gay want to share in this vital social institution is evidence that conservative ideals enjoy widespread acceptance. Conservatives should celebrate this, rather than lament it." and "The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly held that marriage is one of the most fundamental rights that we have as Americans under our Constitution. It is an expression of our desire to create a social partnership, to live and share life's joys and burdens with the person we love, and to form a lasting bond and a social identity. The Supreme Court has said that marriage is a part of the Constitution's protections of liberty, privacy, freedom of association, and spiritual identification. In short, the right to marry helps us to define ourselves and our place in a community. Without it, there can be no true equality under the law." -Theodore Olson, famous conservative lawyer (Bush v. Gore) [URL="http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/01/08/the-conservative-case-for-gay-marriage.html"]http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/01/08/the-conservative-case-for-gay-marriage.html[/URL]
[QUOTE=yawmwen;38090067]The judge who ruled on it was apparently a Republican-nominated, fairly conservative guy too. This doesn't bode well for the anti-gay bigots.[/QUOTE] Well it is good to see that not all Republican officials are insane.
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