President Obama has directed the Department of Justice to stop defending Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law prohibiting federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Attorney General Eric Holder’s letter explaining the decision to Speaker of the House John Boehner appears here.
In other marriage-equality-related news, the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) — the organization represented by Ted Olson and Davis Boies inthe Prop 8 litigation — has filed a motion in the Ninth Circuit, asking that court to lift its stay on same-sex marriage in California.
Read more at the links below.
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UPDATE: For some reactions to this news, see, e.g., the ACLU (pleased) and Ted Frank (displeased).
BREAKING: DOJ Will No Longer Defend Section 3 of DOMA [Poliglot / Metro Weekly]
Obama Orders End to Defense of Federal Gay Marriage Law [New York Times]
AFER Asks U.S. Court of Appeals to Lift the Stay on Marriage for Gay and Lesbian Couples [American Foundation for Equal Rights]