Dem Leaders Join Legal Fight Against DOMA

The House Democratic leadership as well as over a hundred fellow members are joining the legal fight against the Defense of Marriage Act.

132 members of Congress have filed an amicus brief in Massachusetts v. Dept. of Health and Human Services and Gill vs. Office of Personnel Management, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of language specifically defining marriage as a legal union between members of the opposite sex. The case is currently in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Earlier this year, the Obama administration announced that the federal government would no longer defend the law, prompting House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), with the approval of the House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, to appoint outside counsel.

“The brief makes it clear that the House is not united on this issue,” a statement from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office reads. “There is no legitimate federal interest in denying married gay and lesbian couples the legal security, rights and responsibilities that federal law provides to couples who are married under state law.”