Press Release
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DOMA
Press Release
NCLR Responds to U.S. Supreme Court Oral Argument in Defense of Marriage Act Case
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, March 27, 2013)—Today, the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in a constitutional challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The Supreme Court heard 50 minutes of argument concerning the Court’s jurisdiction to hear the case and one hour of argument concerning the constitutionality of DOMA. DOMA was enacted by Congress in 1996 and nullifies the marriages of gay and lesbian couples for purposes of...Press Release
NCLR Responds to U.S. Supreme Court Decision To Take Proposition 8 and Defense of Marriage Act Cases
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, December 7, 2012)—Today, the United States Supreme Court announced that it will hear the challenge to California’s Proposition 8 and one challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Proposition 8 is the 2008 measure that stripped marriage equality from same-sex couples in California, and was struck down in 2010 by former Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker, who found that the measure discriminates against...Blog
NCLR Analysis: Latest on LGBTQ Cases at the Supreme Court—What to Expect and When
As was widely expected, the Supreme Court today declined to take any action on three important cases involving the rights of same-sex couples, including the challenge to California’ Proposition 8 and one of several challenges to the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). (See my Huffington Post blog post for a preview of the Court’s LGBTQ cases this term.) At this point, we still do not have any information about whether the Court will take any of these cases, or whether it will let the...Press Release
Federal Court of Appeals Strikes Down Anti-Gay Defense of Marriage Act
Statement by NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter, Esq. (San Francisco, CA, May 31, 2012)—Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. The court held that DOMA, which prevents the federal government from recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples even in states where those marriages are valid, violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws. The ruling came in a case...Press Release
NCLR Responds to Senate Judiciary Committee Vote on Bill that Would Repeal DOMA
Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Director, Maya Rupert, Esq. (Washington D.C., November 10, 2011)—Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-8 to move forward the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA), the 1996 law barring the federal government from recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples and excluding them from all marriage-based federal protections. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee,...Press Release
NCLR Challenges Cozen O’Connor’s Refusal to Provide Death Benefits to Surviving Same-Sex Spouse
(San Francisco, CA, September 23, 2011)—The National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a brief in federal district court in Pennsylvania yesterday arguing that private employers cannot hide behind the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to justify discriminating against same-sex spouses in private benefits plans. NCLR is representing Jennifer Tobits, the widow of Sarah “Ellyn” Farley, whose parents have challenged the couple’s marriage and now seek death benefits provided by...Press Release
Widow Defends Her Marriage Against Challenges by Deceased Wife’s Parents
Widow’s In-laws Seeking Control of Estate and Death Benefits (San Francisco, August 3, 2011)—The National Center for Lesbian Rights is representing Jennifer Tobits, the widow of Sarah Ellyn Farley, whose parents are challenging the couple’s marriage and seeking control of Farley’s estate and death benefits provided by her employer. This week, Tobits filed court documents seeking to be named the executor of her wife’s estate and defending her status as a surviving spouse. Tobits’s in-laws had...Press Release
NCLR Responds to First-Ever Senate Hearing on Bill that Would Repeal DOMA
Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Director, Maya Rupert, Esq. (Washington, D.C., July 20, 2011)—Today, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held the first-ever hearing on the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Committee members heard from several supporters of the repeal measure, including people who have been harmed because of the discriminatory law. The Respect for Marriage Act was introduced on March 16, 2011 by Sen. Dianne...Press Release