WASHINGTON (AP) — Just two years ago, the Supreme Court struck down part of the federal anti-gay marriage law that denied a range of government benefits to legally married same-sex couples. The decision in United States v. Windsor did not address the validity of state marriage bans, but courts across the country, with few exceptions, said its logic compelled them to invalidate state laws that prohibited gay and lesbian couples from marrying. The states also argue that they have a good reason to keep defining marriage as they do. Because only heterosexual couples can produce children, it is in the states' interest to make marriage laws that encourage those couples to enter a union that supports raising children. The administration calls for more rigorous scrutiny than courts ordinarily apply to most laws, saying it is appropriate when governments discriminate against a group of people. The Justice Department's decision to stop defending the federal anti-marriage law in 2011 was an important moment for gay rights and President Barack Obama declared his support for same-sex marriage in 2012. If the court limits its ruling to requiring states to recognize same-sex unions, couples in states without same-sex marriage presumably could get married elsewhere and then demand recognition at home. From October to January, the justices first rejected appeals from states seeking to preserve their marriage bans, then allowed court rulings to take effect even as other states appealed those decisions. More than 500 marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples in Alabama this year after a federal court struck down the state's ban. [...] probate judges have not issued any more licenses to gay and lesbian couples since the Alabama Supreme Court ordered a halt to same-sex unions in early March. Civil rights groups say they will continue pressing for other protections from discrimination against LGBT people in employment and housing, among other areas.
Q&a: What's At Stake In Supreme Court Gay Marriage Arguments
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle
Sun, 04/26/2015 - 5:32am
BING NEWS:
- Supreme Court hears case about L.A. man denied visa in part over his tattoos
A couple argues the federal government violated a U.S. citizen's right to marriage and due process by failing to provide a timely explanation for denying a visa to her husband, a noncitizen.
04/22/2024 - 11:00 pm | View Link - More
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