“Respect” or “Defend” Marriage? The Senate Considers a Bill to Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 (DOMA): Part Two in a Two-Part Series of Columns

Authors

Joanna L. Grossman, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Verdict

Publication Date

8-9-2011

Abstract

As I discussed in Part One of this two-part series of columns for Justia’s Verdict, the new bill would reverse DOMA to the extent that DOMA defines marriage, for federal law purposes, as a union between one man and one woman. This provision of DOMA, Section Three (codified as 1 U.S.C. § 7 ), has imposed unfair disadvantages on legally married gay couples, and has created a bureaucratic nightmare.

In this Part of the series, I will discuss the complications created by Section Three, court challenges to its validity, and the changing national landscape that has made Section Three increasingly troubling. Regardless of whether this current repeal effort succeeds, there is no question that Section Three has survived too long.

Recommended Citation

Joanna L. Grossman, “Respect” or “Defend” Marriage? The Senate Considers a Bill to Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 (DOMA): Part Two in a Two-Part Series of Columns Verdict (2011)
Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/faculty_scholarship/917