Can DOMA Be Protected from Supremacist Judges?

The same law firm that brought same-sex marriage to Massachusetts through a state supreme court decision is now trying to overturn the federal law that protects the traditional definition of marriage in all federal departments, agencies and programs.

This federal law is called the Defense of Marriage Act, and known as DOMA. It was passed by Congress in 1996 with an overwhelming bipartisan vote, and signed by President Bill Clinton.

DOMA provides that federal laws must be interpreted in accord with the traditional definition of marriage as the union of husband and wife.

The Government Accountability Office counted more than 1,000 federal laws that refer to marriage, spouse, husband or wife.

DOMA requires these laws to be administered uniformly throughout the nation. Even in states where same-sex unions are recognized, DOMA requires that their partners are not recognized as married for purposes of federal law.

If we don't have a uniform federal definition of marriage, it won't be long before every state has same-sex couples saying they are "married" in Massachusetts, Vermont or Iowa, and demanding that their "marriages" be recognized by those 1,000 federal laws even after moving to a traditional marriage state.

Listen to this commentary here.