U.S. Supreme Court Hears Two Cases Relating to Same-Sex Marriage
- Part 2 of 2  1038828_u_s__supreme_court_2.jpgThis month, the
U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a second case
involving same-sex marriage. United States v. Windsor questions
the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, commonly
referred to as "DOMA."  In recent years, DOMA has been the
subject of much media attention and political debate. Signed
into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, DOMA is
divided into two significant parts. Section 2 of the law says
that states are not required to recognize same-sex marriages
that other states recognize. Section 3 of the law applies only
to the federal government and establishes that in the context of
any Congressional act or any rule or regulation promulgated by
an administrative agency or bureau, the term "marriage" refers
only to a union of one man and one woman and the term "spouse"
only refers to a person of the opposite sex.  Section 3
addresses a person's eligibility for s