American Foundation for Equal Rights

U.S. Court of Appeals: DOMA Is Unconstitutional

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Boston, MA – Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit found that Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional.  Passed by Congress in 1996, DOMA nullifies the marriages of gay and lesbian couples for all purposes of federal law.

“Today’s momentous decision by the First Circuit Court of Appeals is yet another example of the clear pattern of consistent recognition among federal courts that marriage inequality—by any level of government—violates our nation’s core constitutional principles,” said AFER Executive Director Adam Umhoefer.  “Whether it is California’s Proposition 8 or the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, court after court has affirmed that marriage discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans is unfair, unjust, and unconstitutional.”

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About the American Foundation for Equal Rights

The American Foundation for Equal Rights is the sole sponsor of Perry v. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8.  After bringing together bipartisan attorneys Theodore B. Olson and David Boies to lead its legal team, AFER successfully advanced the Perry case through Federal District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  The Perry case has the distinction of being the first federal freedom to marry lawsuit in American history.  The Foundation is committed to achieving full federal marriage equality.

www.afer.org