Historic news out of Washington today: According to the official Supreme Court Twitter, the Defense of Marriage Act—a U.S. federal law which defines marriage as only being between a man and a woman—has been ruled unconstitutional. The official tweet went out at exactly 10:01 AM, eastern time:
DOMA is unconstitutional
DOMA was reportedly ruled unconstitutional by a 5-4 vote, and Justice Kennedy wrote the decision. Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito are in the minority. "DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment," Kennedy wrote in his decision.
SCOTUS was supposed to be rolling out another historic decision about Proposition 8 today, but the official Twitter is now stating that it "looks like the Court is preparing to not decide Prop 8. So the trial judge's ruling invalidating Prop 8 stands. No national ruling." We'll have more on this as it develops.
UPDATE: From the official SCOTUS Twitter re: Prop 8:
If Prop 8 ruling is based on standing, CA same-sex marriages will likely start very soon from court clerks who believe Prop 8 is invalid.
UPDATE #2: According to the official SCOTUS Twitter, the Supreme Court has ruled 5-4 that there is "no standing" in the Prop 8 case before them—Hollingsworth v. Perry, which challenged Prop 8 and suggested that it violates the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution—so instead of a national ruling, the trial judge's decision ruling Prop 8 unconstitutional back in February will be recognized.
Prop 8. No standing. Per Roberts. 5-4.
Same-sex marriage will be available in CA, at least where court clerks take the position that Prop 8 is unconstitutional.
UPDATE #3: According to Buzzfeed's senior political and legal reporter Chris Geidner's official Twitter:
After announcing several non-justice retirements, Chief Justice Roberts announced the court is adjourned.
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[via The Guardian]
