Wednesday, February 23, 2011
News Alert: Justice Department to Stop Defending Federal Law on Gay Marriage
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
-----
Justice Department to Stop Defending Federal Law on Gay Marriage
President Obama, in a major legal policy shift, has directed
the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of
Marriage Act - the 1996 law that bars federal recognition of
same-s*x marriages - against lawsuits challenging it as
unconstitutional.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Wednesday sent a
letter to Congress to inform them that the Justice Department
will now take the position in court that the Defense of
Marriage Act should be struck down as a violation of gay
couples' rights to equal protection under the law.
"The President and I have concluded that classifications
based on s*xual orientation warrant heightened scrutiny and
that, as applied to same-s*x couples legally married under
state law" a crucial provision of the Defense of Marriage Act
is unconstitutional, Mr. Holder wrote.
Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na
The New York Times
-----
Justice Department to Stop Defending Federal Law on Gay Marriage
President Obama, in a major legal policy shift, has directed
the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of
Marriage Act - the 1996 law that bars federal recognition of
same-s*x marriages - against lawsuits challenging it as
unconstitutional.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Wednesday sent a
letter to Congress to inform them that the Justice Department
will now take the position in court that the Defense of
Marriage Act should be struck down as a violation of gay
couples' rights to equal protection under the law.
"The President and I have concluded that classifications
based on s*xual orientation warrant heightened scrutiny and
that, as applied to same-s*x couples legally married under
state law" a crucial provision of the Defense of Marriage Act
is unconstitutional, Mr. Holder wrote.
Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na
