By a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declared unconstitutional the Defense of Marriage of Act of 1996, which blocked federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples. Justice Anthony Kennedy delivered the opinion for the majority. The court, separately, let stand a lower court ruling that struck down California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriages. The court did not reach the merits of the case, however.
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Kennedy wrote, "violates basic due process and equal protection principles applicable to the Federal Government." Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined Kennedy. The ruling applies to legally-married same sex couples.
