Defense Of Marriage Act

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), 28 U.S.C. 1738c, was passed by a Republican Congress and signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton.^[1]

Section 3 of DOMA was overturned by the Supreme Court on June 26, 2013. The rest of the law still stood until Obergefell v. Hodges.

The law defended traditional marriage by enabling each state to refuse to recognize another state's grant of same-sex "marriages". The no longer effective Section 3 clarified that the U.S. federal government did not recognize same-sex "marriages" at all, even if recognized by one of the states.

This law was meant to ensure two things:

1. No state was required to recognize a same-sex "marriage" performed in another state under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution.
2. The federal government could not recognize any same-sex "marriages".

At the time, it was thought that the first effect was most important, and it appears first in the law. Over ten years later, the second effect has emerged as most important, and in early 2009 a lawsuit was filed in Massachusetts to force the federal government to recognize same-sex "marriages" performed there.

The DOMA was supported by many candidates both Democrat and Republican, many of whom on both sides (more Democrats though) would later flipflop on the issue 10–20 years later, likely due to the polls in order to be elected. Many of these, including Hillary Clinton, try to deny or at least come up with excuses for their inconsistent position.

State Marriage Laws[edit]

30 out of 50 states had constitutional provisions defining and limiting marriage as between a man and a woman.^[2] Prior to the 2012 general election, traditional marriage had been affirmed in all 32 states in which it was put to a popular vote.^[3] The states lacking protection of marriage in their constitutions are the 13 northeastern states and territory (D.C.) beginning with West Virginia (but not including Virginia); in the Midwest the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, and in the West the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Washington. Several of these states instead had state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage. As of August 3, 2010, 7 states had judicially declared or legislatively enacted same-sex marriage laws: Massachusetts, California, Iowa, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire. Proposition 8 modified California's constitution in 2008 to protect the sanctity of marriage, and Maine Question 1 which was a People's Veto of a same-sex marriage law passed by the legislature was approved.^[4] In the 2012 general election three states (Maine, Maryland, and Washington) legalized same-sex marriage after a popular vote and an amendment to Minnesota's Constitution that would have recognized marriage only as a union of one man and one woman failed in its referendum.^[5]

Text and Codification of Law[edit]

The text of this law, which was passed in 1996 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, is simple:

An Act To define and protect the institution of marriage.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Defense of Marriage Act'.

SEC. 2. POWERS RESERVED TO THE STATES.

(a) IN GENERAL- Chapter 115 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding after section 1738B the following:

`Sec. 1738C. Certain acts, records, and proceedings and the effect thereof

`No State, territory, or possession of the United States, or Indian tribe, shall be required to give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other State, territory, possession, or tribe, or a right or claim arising from such relationship.'.

(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT- The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 115 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1738B the following new item:

`1738C. Certain acts, records, and proceedings and the effect thereof.'.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE.

(a) IN GENERAL- Chapter 1 of title 1, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

`Sec. 7. Definition of `marriage' and `spouse'

`In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word `marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word `spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.'.

(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT- The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 1 of title 1, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 6 the following new item:

`7. Definition of `marriage' and `spouse'.'.

This law was then codified in two different sections of Titles 1 and 28 of the United States Code:

1 U.S.C. § 7. Definition of "marriage" and "spouse"

In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word "marriage" means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word "spouse" refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.

28 U.S.C. § 1738C. Certain acts, records, and proceedings and the effect thereof

No State, territory, or possession of the United States, or Indian tribe, shall be required to give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other State, territory, possession, or tribe, or a right or claim arising from such relationship.

Further reading[edit]

• Strasser, Mark. "Ex Post Facto Laws, Bills of Attainder, and the Definition of Punishment: On DOMA, the Hawaii Amendment, and Federal Constitutional Constraints," 48 Syracuse L. Rev. 227 (1998) outline

External links[edit]

• Key Provision in Defense of Marriage Act is Struck Down by United States Supreme Court (states rights view)

References[edit]

1. ↑ The law passed by overwhelming supermajorities: 342-67 in the House, and 85-14 in the Senate; Bill Clinton used DOMA in campaign ads for his 1996 re-election bid. Clinton ad pushes gay marriage ban, Associated Press, 10/15/96.
2. ↑ http://www.domawatch.com/stateissues/index.html
3. ↑ Need Source
4. ↑ Only 5 states had recognized homosexual "marriage".
5. ↑ https://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/Measures/2012/