Topic: Defense of Marriage Act
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Major gay marriage cases in federal court and where they stand
Battles over same-sex marriage have been raging in the federal courts for several years. Two could reach the US Supreme Court within a year: one challenging California's ban on gay marriage under Proposition 8, and the other seeking to invalidate the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Here are the cases to follow.
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Gay marriage in the US: six ways states differ on the issue
Take a look at where states currently stand on gay marriage in the US.
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New York gay marriage bill: What would happen if it passes?
New York legislators could vote as early as Wednesday to legalize gay marriage in the state. New York would become the sixth state to permit gay marriage. Here’s a list six things that would – and wouldn’t – happen should the bill pass.
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Getting bin Laden and five other boosts to Obama's reelection bid
"Yes We Can” was so 2008. Now President Obama is the incumbent, with a record to defend. Here are his top six accomplishments, including the killing of Osama bin Laden.
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Gay marriage at Supreme Court: Will military couples get more benefits?
Same-sex military couples are not eligible for many benefits that heterosexual married couples in the military receive, including housing and medical care. But the Supreme Court could redefine the federal status of gay marriage next year.
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Supreme Court invites lawyer to argue DOMA is outside their jurisdiction
Vicki C. Jackson will be arguing that it's improper for the Supreme Court to even consider making a ruling on a federal law that treats gay married couples differently from heterosexual married couples.
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Same-sex couples trade first 'I do's' in Washington
Due to a three-day waiting period, Sunday was the first day same-sex couples could be married after picking up marriage licenses Thursday in the state of Washington.
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Same-sex marriage: Waiting now for the Supreme Court to act
As reflected in polls and recent ballot measures, public opinion is moving in favor of same-sex marriage. Now that the US Supreme Court has agreed to take up the issue, both sides in the debate look for clear legal resolution.
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Supreme Court: Both sides in gay marriage debate voice optimism
The Supreme Court's decision to take up appeals over DOMA and California's Prop. 8 ban on gay marriage elicited positive reactions from advocates on both sides of the contentious issue.
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Supreme Court takes up gay marriage: what the justices have to decide
The main question before the Supreme Court is not whether the Constitution protects gay marriage, but whether Prop. 8 and DOMA discriminate in violation of the 14th Amendment.
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Gay marriage reaches Supreme Court: Justices to review Prop 8., DOMA
The two cases being taken up by the Supreme Court involve a challenge to California’s Prop. 8 ban on gay marriage and a suit from New York City testing the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
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Same-sex weddings in Washington State: Breakthrough for gay marriage?
On Election Day, voters in Maine, Maryland, and Washington State approved same-sex marriage – the first time such unions had been approved by popular vote. Same-sex marriage licenses in Washington were issued for the first time Thursday.
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Will Supreme Court decide if gay marriage is constitutional? (+video)
The Supreme Court meets Friday to decide whether it should take up a case on same-sex marriage, and the claim that the Constitution gives people the right to marry regardless of sexual orientation.
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Gay marriage to Supreme Court? More likely after latest rejection of DOMA.
A federal appeals court panel in New York voted 2 to 1 to declare part of DOMA unconstitutional. The opinion, just three weeks after argument, suggests the judges may have been keeping an eye on the Supreme Court.
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NY appeals court strikes down Defense of Marriage Act, joining Boston court
The issue is expected to be decided by the Supreme Court. The decision came less than a month after the court heard arguments on Sept. 27.
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Robert Reich
Presidential debate: the questions they should (but won't) ask Obama, RomneyWhat would happen if Robert Reich moderated a presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney? Reich offers his thoughts on what questions Romney and Obama should be asked in Wednesday's presidential debate.
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Focus
Can GOP survive its 'minority problem'?Polls show that the GOP continues to be 'the party of old, white men' – and that could be decisive in the 2012 presidential election. Demographics suggest that the party must change, and soon.
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Paul Ryan to 'values voters': If Obama wins, there's no going back
In a well-received speech to social conservatives – a key element of the GOP base – Paul Ryan slams President Obama and the Democrats for putting too much emphasis on government.
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In looming federalism fight, three states say feds can't 'unmarry' gay couples
Vermont, New York, and Connecticut argue in a US court of appeals brief that it’s states, not the federal government, that license official relationships, including gay marriages.
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We know Paul Ryan is a budget hawk. But what about other issues?
As a seven-term member of Congress, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan has a record on issues other than the federal budget – abortion, immigration, national security, and gay rights, for example.
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Gay marriage: California's Prop. 8 lands on doorstep of US Supreme Court (+video)
US Supreme Court is asked to hear California's Prop. 8 case. If the justices agree to hear that one and federal Defense of Marriage Act cases in the next term, it would mark the most extensive and important examination of gay rights in the US ever.
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Pentagon celebrates gay pride month, but can it really make gays equal?
The repeal of 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' has exposed some inequalities – between spousal benefits for heterosexual troops and those for homosexual troops who are also in legal partnerships.
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Obama immigration order: Does 'audacity of hope' mean unchecked presidential power?
President Obama’s order deferring deportation of up to 800,000 young illegal immigrants shows a president dealing with a recalcitrant Congress by ignoring it. Is he reshaping the power of the presidency?
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Prop. 8: appeals courts set stage for Supreme Court review of gay marriage
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday declined to reexamine a ruling overturning California's Prop. 8 gay marriage ban as unconstitutional. The decision sets the stage for a Supreme Court showdown.
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Why a federal court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act
The First Circuit wrote that the federal Defense of Marriage Act intruded on states' rights and that the act's defenders failed to justify its impact on gay couples. But the court acknowledged that 'only the Supreme Court can finally decide this unique case.'
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Appeals court strikes down DOMA: Tradition doesn't justify unequal treatment (+video)
A three-judge panel from the federal appeals court in Boston unanimously ruled the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional for denying federal benefits to 'same-sex couples lawfully married in Massachusetts.'
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Gay marriage: Judge overturns DOMA, stepping up pressure on Supreme Court
A federal judge struck down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which precludes gay couples from receiving federal marriage benefits. She is the third federal judge to do so, suggesting that the Supreme Court might need to step in soon to clarify its position.
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Major gay marriage cases in federal court and where they stand
Battles over same-sex marriage have been raging in the federal courts for several years. Two could reach the US Supreme Court within a year: one challenging California's ban on gay marriage under Proposition 8, and the other seeking to invalidate the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Here are the cases to follow.
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Focus
The gay marriage paradox: as acceptance rises, so do legal barriersPresident Obama's embrace of gay marriage mirrors growing support among many Americans, but states continue to ban it. The US Supreme Court could play a key role.
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