Do you have a federal marriage license? You don’t have to be a lawyer to know the answer.
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley sued the federal government today to remind Congress that the Defense of Marriage Act (‘DOMA’) is an unconstitutional attempt to interefere with the state’s authority to define marriage as it chooses.
Coakley also contends that, under DOMA, Massachusetts citizens in same-sex marriages can be denied eligibility for Medicaid benefits, veterans’ cemetary funding for the state would treat married gay and lesbian couples differently.
Attorney General Coakley (center), pictured with Assistant Attorney General Jonathan B. Miller, and Maura T. Healey, Chief of Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division. Photo credit: Attorney General of Massachusetts
You can read the Massachusetts lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of DOMA here:
- Mass. Sues Feds Over Definition of Marriage (AP)
- Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office
- July 7, 2009 Press Release
- Same-Sex Couples and the Law
- The Defense of Marriage Act and the Call for a Constitutional Amendment
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