In two separate cases, a federal court in Boston has ruled that the 1996 "Defense of Marriage Act" violated the US Constitution.
The first ruling found that the DOMA takes away the states' right to decide whether a couple can be considered married or not. As marriage licenses are obtained from the states themselves, the federal government does not have authority to make that determination on their behalf.
The second ruling found that the DOMA violates the equal protection guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment. The court ruled that marriage benefits were being withheld from citizens based on their sexual orientation.
A great step forward for equal rights! :)
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