Proposition 8

WASHINGTON — For Barack Obama, the Supreme Court’s decisions on gay rights punctuate an evolution as president on the subject of same-sex marriage — a personal journey that has taken him from opposition to ambivalence to enthusiastic support.

NEW YORK — Even as they celebrate a momentous legal victory, supporters of gay marriage already are anticipating a return trip to the Supreme Court in a few years, sensing that no other option but a broader court ruling will legalize same-sex unions in all 50 states.

Wow. No doubt about it. Today was a momentous day. The Supreme Court this morning overturned Section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had required the federal government to treat legally married same-sex couples as single. The Court also held that the proponents of Proposition 8 had no right to appeal the federal district court ruling that the California initiative is unconstitutional, thereby keeping that court’s injunction in place, so that the freedom to marry will soon return to California.

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday reopened the door to gay marriage in California. Following are five things to know about how the ruling affects same-sex couples in the state:

Two landmark Supreme Court rulings that bolster gay marriage rights don’t remove all barriers to same-sex unions by a long shot. Where gay couples live still will have a lot to do with how they’re treated. Some questions and answers about Wednesday’s court rulings:

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court said Wednesday it will wait at least 25 days before making a decision on whether gay marriages can resume in California. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said backers of Proposition 8 – the state ban on gay marriages – have that long to ask the Supreme court to rehear the case.

By any standard, the Supreme Court’s decisions striking down Section 3 of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and clearing the way for the end of Proposition 8 in California are landmarks in the struggle for LGBT equality. Not since the Court’s decision 10 years ago that laws criminalizing same-sex sexual intimacy violate the freedom of LGBT people to control their lives and define their relationships has the nation’s highest court offered such a resounding affirmation that governmental discrimination against LGBT people is incompatible with the guarantees of our Constitution.

WASHINGTON — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) on Wednesday said it was “outraged” at the U.S. Supreme Court’s actions to dismiss Proposition 8 on procedural grounds, and for invalidating a key element of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

SALT LAKE CITY — The Mormon church criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision opening the door for same sex marriage in California, saying it highlights troubling questions about the country’s democratic and judicial systems.

WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton is welcoming the Supreme Court decision striking down a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, which he signed into law in 1996. In a joint statement with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former president said the court recognized that discrimination toward any group holds all […]

Updated, 11:30 a.m. PDT SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Jerry Brown says he has directed the California Department of Public Health to start issuing marriage licenses to gay couples as soon as a federal appeals court lifts its stay on a lower court ruling in the case. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday let stand that […]

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama hailed the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act on Wednesday, declaring the court “has righted a wrong, and our country is better off for it.” Obama decided in 2011 to stop defending the 1996 law, concluding that it was legally indefensible. […]

Updated: 10:45 a.m. PDT SAN FRANCISCO — A crowd at San Francisco City Hall applauded the news Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court had cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California, but the reaction was shaded by the knowledge that the high court had sidestepped the larger question of whether banning gay […]

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama has telephoned his congratulations to the plaintiffs in a gay marriage case before the Supreme Court. Obama telephoned gay rights advocate Chad Griffin, who had the couple in a California gay marriage case listen in. The White House confirmed that Obama placed the call as he flew to Africa […]

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and ruled that legally-married same-sex couples should get the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples. Following is reaction from around the nation:

WASHINGTON — Supporters of same-sex marriage burst into cheers, wept openly and chanted “DOMA is Dead” outside the Supreme Court as word reached them that the justices had struck down a key provision of the federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Some in the crowd hugged and others […]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way Wednesday for gay marriages to resume in California following a bitter, five-year legal battle, but the nation’s most populous state might have to wait at least 25 days before joining the 12 other states where gay couples already have the right to wed.

WASHINGTON — Crowds are gathering outside the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of two gay marriage decisions.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is meeting to deliver opinions in two cases that could dramatically alter the rights of gay people across the United States.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court did not issue rulings Tuesday in two closely watched cases — the constitutionality of Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage, and the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman for purposes of federal recognition and benefits.