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Senate Dems Move to Zap DOMA

Introduce bill to repeal ban on gay marriage

By Polly Davis Doig, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 17, 2011 12:56 PM CDT

(Newser) – It was another day of undoing in Congress: As House Republicans moved to dismantle financial reform yesterday, Democrats over in the Senate were fixing to make the Defense of Marriage Act go away. "It is time to right this wrong," Dianne Feinstein said in introducing the legislation. "This bill will ensure that all married couples in the United States enjoy equal protection of our laws."

The move comes at a time in which President Obama's Justice Department has said it won't defend DOMA in court anymore, notes the LA Times. House Republicans have moved to fund a legal defense, but gay rights advocates are predictably ecstatic: "It's time the federal government stops playing favorites and instead creates an equal playing field for all families," says one. Click for all things DOMA.

Pali Cooper, right, and her wife Jeanne Rizzo, of Tiburon, Calif., appear at the introduction of a Senate bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., smiles after announcing the introduction of a Senate bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference to announce the introduction of a Senate bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, speaks at the introduction of a Senate bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 24 comments

Kant

Mar 18, 2011 1:01 AM CDT

Perhaps not on par with the Dred Scott case 150 years ago, but just as shameful nonetheless.

vendetta

Mar 17, 2011 4:59 PM CDT

We just can not move forward as a country if we continue to treat a certain citizens as a second class. If you don't see a comparison here between women/racial rights I feel sorry for you as your parents have clearly let you down.

dilbertfan

Mar 17, 2011 3:23 PM CDT

The president cannot pick and choose which laws he wants to defend and he cannot write legislation. This move by the Dems came as a result of our president declaring the federal laws he has decided that he will enforce instead of abiding by the constitution that he swore to uphold. Faced with this the Dem leadership had no other choice but to introduce a bill that aligned our laws to match the presidents opinion of how they should be.

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Obama Backs Repeal of Marriage Law

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(NEWSER) - President Obama's " evolving views " on gay marriage appear to have evolved even further: The president has endorsed a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act , which defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is thought unlikely to pass Congress this year, but is facing its first Senate committee hearing today, the New York Times reports. More»

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(NEWSER) - A federal judge has declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, ordering the federal government to provide health benefits to the wife of a lesbian court employee. It's the first ruling to come down on DOMA since the Obama administration decided to stop defending it in court , the LA Times points out. The law has instead been defended by the House 's Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group—which, despite its name, is predominantly conservative. More»

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(NEWSER) - The attorney general made the surprising move of suspending the deportation of a gay man in a civil union with a US citizen yesterday. The AP reports that Holder has asked the Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider its decision. The board had called for the deportation of Paul Wilson Dorman to Ireland, even though he celebrated a civil union in New Jersey with his male partner—because the Defense of Marriage Act blocks gay marriage. Holder says there are two key points: Would the deportation would still occur if DOMA didn’t exist, and is Dorman officially a “spouse” according to New Jersey state law? More»

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(NEWSER) - With the Obama administration having declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional , Democratic lawmakers are launching new challenges of their own to the law, the Huffington Post reports. In the House, the "Respect for Marriage Act," which would explicitly repeal DOMA, is set to be introduced by Jerry Nadler with "quite a few co-sponsors," he says. "The president's move is another step in the increasing realization that there is no conceivable justification for DOMA," Nadler says. More»

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(NEWSER) - Big win for gay rights advocates: The Obama administration has concluded that the Defense of Marriage Act—the law that bars federal recognition of same-sex marriage—is unconstitutional and won't defend it in court anymore, reports NPR . The president gave the Justice Department its new marching orders today, and Eric Holder says he agrees with the decision. ( Click for his statement.) More»

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Senate Dems Move to Zap DOMA

Introduce bill to repeal ban on gay marriage

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

gay rights • gay marriage • Senate Democrats • Dianne Feinstein • Defense of Marriage Act

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Obama Backs Repeal of Marriage Law

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With DOMA in question, Eric Holder wants case reviewed

Democrats Push to Repeal Law Against Gay Marriage

President's stance against DOMA gives them a nudge

Obama: Law Against Gay Marriage Unconstitutional

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