You can read Attorney General Eric Holder's statement here in which he states: After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny...The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President's determination."
For more about the significance of this decision, check out:
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The ACLU's James Esseks' blog post.
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This video about the case challenging DOMA, or
- this video of ACLU client, Edie Windsor, talking about what the decision means to her.
BUT, wait, it's not over.
The Department of Justice is required to give Congress an opportunity to defend DOMA. And Speaker of the House John Boehner has until March 11 to decide whether to hire a lawyer to defend DOMA, now that the Justice Department no longer will. That's where you come in:
Click here to TAKE ACTION by urging members of Congress to stay out of the litigation and not defend DOMA and to cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA.
