The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today declared in a 2-to-1 ruling that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional, making it the second court to reject a law that limits the definition of marriage to a legal union between heterosexual couples. A Boston federal court made the same ruling earlier this year. Read a PDF of the ruling.
The ruling is “a watershed moment in the legal movement for lesbian and gay rights,” said American Civil Liberties Union attorney James Esseks.
Sources anticipate that the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House of Representatives will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
