Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Law Barring Gay Marriage
Massachusetts officials had argued to the three-judge panel that the law could deny gay married couples federal benefits such as Medicaid.
Boston Globe: Federal Court In Boston Rules US Marriage Law Unconstitutional
In a groundbreaking ruling on gay rights, a US appeals court in Boston on Thursday struck down the heart of a federal act that defines marriage as a union solely of a man and a woman. … [Attorney General Martha] Coakley had argued that the law dictated the way the state could administer federally funded programs, forcing the state to discriminate against the type of marriages that it already approved. According to the marriage act, for instance, under some circumstances, gay couples could be denied Medicaid and the state could not bury the same-sex spouse of a war veteran in federally funded cemeteries (Valencia, 5/31).
The Associated Press: Gay Married Couples Look To High Court On Benefits
In California, two federal judges have found this year that the (Defense of Marriage Act) violates the due-process rights of legally married same-sex couples. In the most recent case, a judge found the law unconstitutional because it denies long-term health insurance benefits to legal spouses of state employees and retirees. The judge also said a section of the federal tax code that makes the domestic partners of state workers ineligible for long-term care insurance violates the civil rights of people in gay and lesbian relationships (Lavoie, 6/1).
