DOMA and Proposition 8 Struck Down by SCOTUS

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Today is a historic day for the LGBT equality movement. The Supreme Court ruled this morning that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s adoption of Proposition 8 were unconstitutional citing the Equal Protection Clause. Both of these rulings establish heightened scrutiny on sexual orientation discrimination.

Here is the decision of the United States v. Edie Windsor. An explanation in plain english from SCOTUS Blog on this case can be found here. Fun fact: Edie Windsor is a proud graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia.

Here is the decision of Hollingsworth v. Perry. An explanation in plain english from SCOTUS Blog on this case can be found here.

We have been closely monitoring Twitter and Facebook for the reactions of our state legislators. So far, all but one have been positive.

KSV staff will update this post as lawmakers let us know how they feel about today’s decisions.

CaseyStatement from US Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)

“The Supreme Court made the right decision in striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) this morning.

As a U.S. Senator representing Pennsylvania, I have read many letters written to me by LGBT Pennsylvanians and their families who want nothing more than equal rights under the law.  These letters included deeply personal statements from people across our Commonwealth and had a substantial impact on my decision to support marriage equality.

I believe the Supreme Court’s ruling on DOMA was a critical step in strengthening equal rights for all.”

PittsStatement from US Representative Joe Pitts (R-16)

“I cannot disagree more with today’s Supreme Court decision. Congress was well within its rights to define marriage on the federal level as it has been construed for thousands of years. The people of California voted in a fair and free referendum to protect traditional marriage. In both of these cases, the people acted through the democratic process to define marriage as between one man and one woman and now see their decision invalidated by the court.

I believe this will have negative consequences for children, who are best raised by a mother and a father. We redefine marriage at the expense of strong families, the essential building block of our society.”

Here are the positive tweets

Schwartz

 

 

Here are the negative tweets

[Re-tweet by PA Rep. Bryan Cutler]Cutler

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