The Supreme Court Goes for 2

The Supreme Court announced today that it will hear two important LGBT cases this term: a challenge to a key section of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and the case against Prop 8. This is big!

Section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) requires the federal government to discriminate against married same-sex couples and treat them as if they are not married.  The Court will hear the case brought on behalf of Edie Windsor by the ACLU, and Lambda Legal will support this case all the way, as we have in that past, by filing a friend-of-the court brief and collaborating with our colleagues.

This outrageous law has been hurting same-sex couples and their families for 16 years, and Lambda Legal has been challenging DOMA in a case pending in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. It’s time for DOMA to go!

A day like this doesn’t just happen.

It’s the result of years of strategic, impact litigation.

Help us continue the fight.

The Court also agreed to review the challenge to Prop 8 now known as Hollingsworth v. Perry, brought by AFER, the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Proposition 8 discriminates against same-sex couples in California, and two federal courts have already ruled it unconstitutional. We have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of this case, too – and plan to do so again!

In California, Lambda Legal and our sister legal organizations first began litigating for the freedom to marry in 2004 and won a thrilling victory from the California Supreme Court in 2008. The fight is not over—the Supreme Court must now uphold or let stand a lower court ruling that Prop 8 is unconstitutional.

There is more news to come: We are waiting to hear from the Supreme Court about Lambda Legal’s case on behalf of lesbian and gay state employees in Arizona who are challenging an attempt to eliminate equal health care coverage for their families. We will keep you up to date during this exciting time!

We have a lot of work to do! We’ll keep fighting against DOMA, and for marriage equality in our cases in New Jersey, Nevada and Illinois.  We’ll keep fighting for fairness for lesbian and gay state employees in Arizona.  And we’ll keep fighting for equality across the country—with your help.

Thank you.

P.S. You can be part of this historic fight: Sign our “No Defense of DOMA” petition and get regular Supreme Court updates from us.