In 5-4 Vote, Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA

According to the Huffington Post, the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled Wednesday that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prevented gay marriages from being legally recognized by the federal government, is unconstitutional.

The U.S. Supreme Court said it won't make a standing on California’s Prop 8, a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, has paved the way for same-sex marriage to resume in California.

The standing, which emphasizes that the Prop. 8 case shouldn’t have been brought to the Supreme Court, means a lower-court decision ruling Prop 8 unconstitutional stands, according to NBC Bay Area. 

Cheers began erupting in San Francisco’s City Hall early Wednesday morning as news of the standing made its way through the crowd. San Franciso Mayor Ed Lee and California Lt. Governor and Marin resident Gavin Newsom addressed the crowd, which was aired live on an NCB Bay Area live stream.

Newsom said he was celebrating the crowds’ devotion to marriage equality.

“I want to thank you for celebrating this remarkable journey we’re still on,” Newsom said. “Like any journey, it’s not linear. It’s complex and there are good and bay days, but it’s a worthy journey we’re on.”

Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion in the 5-4 decision, striking down DOMA on the grounds that it violates the Fifth Amendment, depriving a class of persons from their equal liberty. Justice Roberts wrote one dissent; Scalia another, in which he was joined by Thomas and in part by Roberts.

State Senator Leland Yee issued the following statement Wednesday morning:

"It’s a wonderful day for Californians who believe in equal rights for all. In 2008, Proposition 8 stripped the right to marry from LGBT citizens, while DOMA imposed an unprecedented standard that allowed states to ignore marriage contracts formed elsewhere in our nation. Today the Supreme Court has reaffirmed the fundamental ideas our nation was founded upon and taken a step towards equality and fairness.  Now that the laws that held same sex couples apart have been found unconstitutional, we can finally live up to our creed that all people are created equal. I look forward to again officiating at weddings for all couples who wish to marry, this time knowing that their right is here to stay."

Patch will update this story as information becomes available.