The United States Supreme Court has struck down DOMA! DOMA is the federal Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that prohibited the federal government from recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples for purposes of federal programs and benefits such as Social Security and immigration. In a separate decision today, the Court also dismissed the appeal by supporters of Prop 8. Prop 8 was the 2008 ballot initiative that stripped same-sex couples of the freedom to marry in California. In 2010, District Judge Vaughn Walker struck down that proposition as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court’s order today means that Judge Walker’s decision is the final word, and clears the way for same-sex couples to marry again in California. Unfortunately today’s Supreme Court decisions do not mean that other states that do not presently allow same-sex marriage, have to do so.
This handout from NCLR will answer a lot of your questions about what this means for same-sex couples in California.