Tag Archives: Mary Bonauto

First Circuit: DOMA unconstitutional; next stop: Supreme Court

A unanimous three-judge panel of the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled today (Thursday, May 31) that the core part of the Defense of Marriage Act, barring federal recognition of marriages of same-sex couples, is unconstitutional.

Biden: Pressuring Obama, or paving the way?

Responding earnestly to a question, Vice President Joe Biden has hoisted personal and legal support for same-sex marriages back into the presidential campaign.

The quiet drama behind the DOMA argument

The seventh-floor courtroom of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston was packed to capacity. An overflow room equipped with closed circuit TV was provided for those not arriving early enough—shortly after 8 a.m.—for seating

First circuit drills down on DOMA

BOSTON — A three-judge panel in Boston heard oral arguments Wednesday (April 4) in the first challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to reach a federal appeals court.

Lawyers arguing DOMA appeal Wednesday

When a panel of three judges on a federal appeals court hears arguments against the federal Defense of Marriage Act, three openly gay lawyers will argue the law is unconstitutional. Opposing them, one straight attorney.

Foremost DOMA case in appeals court Wednesday

One of the biggest lawsuits against the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is back in court next week, and for the first time for any DOMA challenge, it is at the federal appeals level.

New guidelines for same-sex parenting and custody

Many contentious lawsuits involving the rights of LGBT people have occurred when a biological parent uses anti-LGBT laws to try and deny a child’s non-biological parent custody or visitation. Several LGBT organizations have published a revised set of standards aimed

DOJ-DOMA aftermath: swell or tsunami?

Political decisions are a lot like oceanic earthquakes. First, there’s the quake, and then there’s the wave. Nobody can tell just how significant the wave is until it reaches land and, sometimes, the wave has greater impact than the earthquake;

Obama DOJ says DOMA is unconstitutional

The Obama administration made a blockbuster announcement Wednesday, saying it has concluded that one part of the Defense of Marriage Act will not be able to pass constitutional muster in the 2nd Circuit and that DOJ would not defend that

DOJ says DOMA justified to prevent ‘inequities’

The U.S. Department of Justice filed its brief January 13 with a federal appeals court that will hear the government’s appeal of two district court decisions that found the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.