Yesterday’s Huge Victories for Same-Sex Couples

The Supreme Court ruled in two cases yesterday that same-sex couples deserve equal respect and treatment under the law.

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Idea of the Day

Idea of the Day

Yesterday the Supreme Court delivered two historic rulings impacting the rights of marriage for same-sex couples.

In Hollingsworth v. Perry, the Supreme Court held that Dennis Hollingsworth, the head of ProtectMarriage.com, did not have the authority to appeal a district court decision striking down California’s Proposition 8. Proposition 8, passed in 2008, stripped thousands of same-sex couples of the right to marry the person they love. Though yesterday’s decision poses a number of questions, it appears that the district court’s order prohibiting the state from enforcing Proposition 8 will stand. This means that marriage equality will once again return to California.

In United States v. Windsor, the Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which for nearly two decades discriminated against legally married same-sex couples in more than 1,000 federal benefits and protections. Now that DOMA is no longer on the books, the Obama administration can begin to extend those benefits and protections to married same-sex couples, ensuring that all families are treated equally under federal law.

For more on this topic, please see:

2 Victories for Marriage Equality at the Supreme Court by Andrew Cray and Crosby Burns

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