State of Massachusetts Sues Federal Government Over DOMA

by Michael Jones · 2009-07-08 10:02:00 UTC
Topics:

Repeal DOMA

Strike another blow against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  This time it comes in the form of a lawsuit filed on behalf of the State of Massachusetts by Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is suing the federal government.  The reason?  Coakley believes (and we agree) that DOMA interferes with the right of Massachusetts to define marriage as it sees fit.

This is welcome news.  The state that became the first to legalize marriage equality in the nation now becomes the first state to officially sue the federal government over denying equal rights to its gay and lesbian citizens.

This lawsuit joins two other high profile cases taking the federal government to task over the Defense of Marriage Act.  The first is the Smelt case, which resulted in the infamous Justice Department brief that drew the wrath of LGBT activists around the country for its careless portrayal of homosexuality and its opinion that DOMA was "rational."  The second case, which the government must respond to by September, is a case filed by Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD).  (We're leaving out the Olson-Boies case. Though it will have a major impact on the future of marriage equality, my understanding is that this case doesn't hit DOMA directly, but Proposition 8.)

It's hard to say how each of these three cases will pan out.  But one thing is crystal clear: the energy behind repealing DOMA has never been greater.  That's a buzz that MA Attorney General Martha Coakley had to be aware of when she submitted her lawsuit this morning.  Her lawsuit only adds to the momentum to do away with DOMA.

(Photo by Jon Pincus and Liminal States.)

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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