SCOTUS strikes down DOMA
Big win today for same-sex marriage advocates, as the Supreme Court struck down DOMA based on the 5th amendment. The decision provoked a sharp dissent from Justice Scalia, and dissents from the Chief Justice and Justice Alito. The opinion by Justice Kennedy (with the dissents at the end) is here.
It also ruled that the people behind Prop 8 (the statute preventing same-sex marriage in California), didn’t have standing, leaving the statute undefended since the state did not want to defend it in Court. Opinion is here
There will certainly be more lawsuits about the effect of the Prop 8 outcome in California, as it is a bit unclear what happens now. Presumably, same-sex marriage will continue after the 9th Circuit has dismissed the suit.