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MA: AG Asks Federal Judge to Find DOMA Unconstitutional

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

A federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman forces Massachusetts, the first state in the country to legalize gay marriage, to discriminate against same-sex couples, state Attorney General Martha Coakley argues in court papers. Coakley’s office filed a lawsuit in July challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

In court papers filed in US District Court on Thursday, Coakley asked a judge to deem the law unconstitutional without holding a trial on the lawsuit.

Coakley argues that regulating marital status has traditionally been left to the states. She said the federal law treats married heterosexual couples and married same-sex couples differently; for instance, when determining eligibility for Medicaid benefits and when determining whether the spouse of a veteran can be buried in a Massachusetts veterans cemetery. The law forces Massachusetts “to engage in invidious discrimination against its own citizens in order to receive and retain federal funds in connection with two joint federal-state programs,” Coakley said in the court filing.

Full Story from Boston.com
Click here for gay marriage resources in Massachusetts.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in ag, attorney general, defense of marriage act, doma, federal lawsuit, Gay Marriage, ma, marriage equality, massacgusetts, same sex marriage | No Responses »

MA: NOM Spends $50K to Elect Republican to Kennedy's Seat

Monday, January 18th, 2010

The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, has spent $50,000 on a wave of robocalls into Massachusetts on Scott Brown’s behalf, according to a filing Saturday with the Federal Elections Commission.

Brown opposes same-sex marriage, and Coakley supports it, though the issue hasn’t been central in Massachusetts, where gay couples have been marrying since 2004, and where it’s no longer a front-burner political issue. Brown’s gay defenders say he opposes a federal constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriage, and shares President Obama’s view that it’s a matter for the states.

Full Story from Politico

Click here for gay marriage resources in Massachusetts.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in ma, martha coakley, massachusetts, national organization for marriage, nom, robocalls, scott brown | No Responses »

MA: Analysis of the Case Against the Defense of Marriage Act

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

The focus of the legal dispute over the federal refusal to recognize same-sex unions has shifted from California to Massachusetts, where the courts will tackle the question of whether Congress must treat all state-approved marriages equally.

On one side are gay and lesbian couples who can’t file joint tax returns, receive their partners’ Social Security benefits or enjoy other rights that the government grants to opposite-sex spouses. They are joined by the state of Massachusetts, which says it is being forced by federal law to become an accomplice to discrimination.

On the other side is the Obama administration, which says the law it is defending is wrongheaded but constitutional.

Full Story from SFGate: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/12/01/MNF51A8UO8.DTL

Click here for gay marriage resources in Massachusetts.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in case, defense of marriage act, doma, federal lawsuit, ma, massachusetts, states rights | No Responses »

Update on Massachusetts Case Against DOMA

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Gay married couples suing the government over the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition to same-sex unions, said Tuesday there is “no legitimate or plausible” reason for having a federal definition of marriage that excludes gay couples.

The lawsuit was brought by seven gay couples and three widowers, all of whom were married in Massachusetts after it became the first state in the country to legalize gay marriage in 2004.

In court documents filed Tuesday, the group claims DOMA violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause since it denies them access to federal benefits such as pensions, health insurance, and the ability to file joint tax based on their sexuality.

Full Story from the Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/17/Federal_Marriage_Lawsuit_Continues/

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in defense of marriage act, doma, federal lawsuit, Gay Marriage, ma, massachusetts | No Responses »