STATEMENT: CAP’s Winnie Stachelberg on Supreme Court Announcement to Review Constitutionality of DOMA, CA’s Proposition 8

December 7, 2012

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Contact: Christina DiPasquale
Phone: 202.481.8181
Email: cdipasquale@americanprogress.org

Washington, D.C. — After a number of lower federal courts have ruled the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, unconstitutional in several different cases, the U.S. Supreme Court announced today it will consider a case that challenges the constitutionality of the law and review the lower federal court ruling which overturned California’s Proposition 8, with a ruling expected in June 2013. In response to this announcement, the Center for American Progress released the following statement from Winnie Stachelberg, Executive Vice President of External Affairs at the Center:

For the last several months, we have watched court after court recognize a basic truth: Our Constitution guarantees all people the “equal protection of the laws,” and that includes loving same-sex couples. Today the Supreme Court announced that it will be the next Court to consider whether the Constitution means what it says. We are confident that the justices will recognize what some of the most conservative judges in the country have already acknowledged: Discriminating against same-sex couples is unconstitutional and must end immediately.

Earlier last month voters in Maine, Maryland, and Washington state overwhelmingly rejected marriage discrimination by upholding marriage equality laws in their state, signaling a clear shift away from the federal law that continues to deny legally married same-sex couples the same protections and economic security otherwise afforded to different-sex couples. Also last month, voters in Minnesota voted down an effort to amend the state’s constitution to outlaw marriage equality.

Related resources:

• 5 Ways the Defense of Marriage Act Harms Same-Sex Couples and Their Children by Katie Miller and Crosby Burns
• Infographic: Marriage Equality is Now a Mainstream Value by Crosby Burns and Ben Harris
• Same-Sex Couples and the Supreme Court: What to Expect in the Coming Weeks by Crosby Burns and Andrew Blotky
• Twin Freedoms: The Facts About Freedom of Religion and the Freedom to Marry by Crosby Burns and Jeff Krehely
• DOMA Opinion Analysis: Why Judge Michael Boudin Is Just Like 50 Cent, by Ian Millhiser (ThinkProgress)

To speak with Winnie Stachelberg, please contact Christina DiPasquale at 202.481.8181 or cdipasquale@americanprogress.org.

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