DOMA Windsor Reactions

AFER

Today’s decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit continues the unceasing momentum toward marriage equality for all Americans and affirms that discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans is unfair, unjust, and unconstitutional. The body of evidence in support of marriage equality is clear and convincing. This decision, as well previous decisions in other DOMA cases and in our federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8, signals that the arguments opposing the recognition of marriage for gay and lesbian Americans have no legal basis. With today’s ruling, we are one step closer to the day when marriage equality is a reality for every American.

People For The American Way

"House Speaker John Boehner has wasted nearly a million and a half taxpayer dollars on defending this indefensible law. I am confident that the Supreme Court would not let DOMA stand, but I hope that they never have to review it. Most Americans don’t want to hurt their gay and lesbian neighbors, and we’ve seen over and over again that DOMA does real harm to real people. Congress must recognize the harm that DOMA has done and repeal it before it hurts more legally married Americans." - Michael Keegan, president.

Courage Campaign

Today's ruling is another step towards ending an unjust, unconstitutional and un-American piece of legislation. Next stop, Supreme Court. Politicians and judges have no business telling anyone who they can love and who they can marry. Today's ruling is yet another step in this country's movement towards equality. We applaud the ruling and will continue to work every day until efforts to legally discriminate, like DOMA and Prop 8, have been fully defeated.

Freedom To Marry

Today's ruling is the second by a federal appellate court and the tenth ruling in a row from judges appointed by presidents from Nixon to Reagan to George W. Bush, all agreeing that this disgraceful and discriminatory gay exception to the way the federal government treats married couples must end. The Supreme Court should swiftly agree to hear one or more of these cases and definitively strike down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, removing this harsh, unfair and unconstitutional burden from families, businesses, the military, and others who want to treat all married couples as what they are: married.

Lambda Legal

We are so happy for the plaintiff in this case, who has won the justice she deserves, and we congratulate our colleagues at the American Civil Liberties Union, the New York Civil Liberties Union and law firm Paul, Weiss for achieving this important victory. We are especially gratified that the Second Circuit agrees that government discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation gets heightened judicial scrutiny -- the argument we urged in a friend-of-the-court brief we submitted in the case. The so-called Defense of Marriage Act is being challenged in multiple cases, including our case on behalf of Karen Golinski in Golinski v. OPM. It won't be long before this bad law is gone for good.

NY Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell

The Defense of Marriage Act is a lingering remnant of hatred and discrimination in the United States, and it has no place in our society. Today, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the validity of this principle and struck a resounding blow for the idea that all Americans deserve equal rights, not just a select few. "I send my sincerest congratulations to Edie Windsor for her personal victory and my thanks for her perseverance—I know first-hand how difficult and truly draining it can be to be a plaintiff for Marriage Equality, as I was a plaintiff in the Marriage Equality lawsuit here in New York, first winning and then ultimately losing the case. Ms. Windsor’s resolve and determination speak volumes. I also congratulate my attorney, Robbie Kaplan, for her tremendous work and continuing victories in this fight for equality."

U.S. House Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)

Now it’s six in a row. Yesterday, we found out Speaker Boehner had already wasted $1.5 million taxpayer dollars losing five DOMA cases in a row. Today, we learned that a sixth court has just ruled DOMA unconstitutional. As the amicus brief I spearheaded in this case pointed out, and as the court agreed, there is no justification for denying Edie Windsor the same right as all other spouses to her full inheritance without paying a tax penalty,” continued Nadler. “Edie lives in my congressional district, and was with her wife, Thea Spyer, for 44 years. The last thing she should have to worry about following the loss of her spouse is an unjust tax penalty imposed for no other reason than the fact that she and her wife were the same gender. Now is the time to stop defending this unjust law and repeal it once and for all. I hope today’s ruling brings us one step closer to that goal.