Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
At or about 10 am EST, the United States Supreme Court filed rulings against a couple of important issues in regards to same sex marriage. The High Court has struck down DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, which was a federal law that prevented legally married same sex couples from all the various federal benefits that legally married heterosexual couples have such as taxes, health benefits, pension benefits, having legal say in the medical treatment of their spouse, etc.
The Court has also, for all intents and purposes, struck down California's Proposition 8 as legally unconstitutional. As a result, at least based on info that's out right now, same sex marriage can be resumed in the state of California.
The Supreme Court didn't come right out and say that the issue was closed. Technically, they weren't supposed to in the first place, I think, since the cases before them pertained to DOMA & Prop 8. However, as one would imagine, a great deal of symbolism has been adopted by supporters and opponents of same sex marriage. While the Court didn't come right out and say that same sex marriage is completely legal in every state, that's generally how the decision is being interpreted by some. That's not exactly accurate, at least for the moment, but their decision today is a massive step in that direction. DOMA & Prop 8 were federal & state laws that, for all intents and purposes, denied gays & lesbians many of the same legal rights of homosexuals and have been declared unconstitutional.
I doubt the fight is over as I'm fairly certain that some politician, or groups of politicians, will somehow attempt to find some sort of technicality in which similar laws are passed. As I'm not a legal scholar, though, I'm not at all sure how they could go about it. DOMA & Prop 8 denied benefits and rights to American citizens based upon their sexual orientation. It's discriminatory and, therefore, unconstitutional. I fail to see how any other such proposed laws wouldn't simply be the same thing.
The Court has also, for all intents and purposes, struck down California's Proposition 8 as legally unconstitutional. As a result, at least based on info that's out right now, same sex marriage can be resumed in the state of California.
The Supreme Court didn't come right out and say that the issue was closed. Technically, they weren't supposed to in the first place, I think, since the cases before them pertained to DOMA & Prop 8. However, as one would imagine, a great deal of symbolism has been adopted by supporters and opponents of same sex marriage. While the Court didn't come right out and say that same sex marriage is completely legal in every state, that's generally how the decision is being interpreted by some. That's not exactly accurate, at least for the moment, but their decision today is a massive step in that direction. DOMA & Prop 8 were federal & state laws that, for all intents and purposes, denied gays & lesbians many of the same legal rights of homosexuals and have been declared unconstitutional.
I doubt the fight is over as I'm fairly certain that some politician, or groups of politicians, will somehow attempt to find some sort of technicality in which similar laws are passed. As I'm not a legal scholar, though, I'm not at all sure how they could go about it. DOMA & Prop 8 denied benefits and rights to American citizens based upon their sexual orientation. It's discriminatory and, therefore, unconstitutional. I fail to see how any other such proposed laws wouldn't simply be the same thing.