"The Obama administration's decision to no longer back the Defense of Marriage Act won't immediately enable married gay couples to receive federal benefits, but is already shaping battles in the courts and in Congress that could affect a range of government policies.

"...The move 'will have a very significant impact because it is easier for the courts to say "we think this law is unconstitutional" if another branch is already saying that,' said Jon Davidson, the legal director of Lambda Legal, one of the groups that has challenged the law in court.

"On Wednesday, President Obama directed the Justice Department to stop defending the law that bans federal recognition of same-sex marriages. And while the decision will — and should — be celebrated by gay couples across the country, practically speaking, their lives won’t change much for some time.

A federal judge has requested the U.S. Department of Justice to explain how it plans to defend denying spousal health benefits to a lesbian federal employee, following an announcement yesterday by the Obama administration that it believes the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White has given government attorneys until Monday, February 28, to respond.

"In a major shift on gay rights, the Obama administration said that it would no longer oppose legal challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act, just two months after Congress and the president agreed to repeal the military's ban on openly gay service members.

"The administration's new stance was hailed as a 'monumental turning point in the quest for equality' by Jon W. Davidson, legal director for Lambda Legal, a gay rights group in Los Angeles".

Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai`i (ACLU) applaud Hawai`i Governor Neil Abercrombie's signing of SB232, which establishes civil unions for same-sex and different-sex couples in Hawai`i. The Hawai`i Senate approved the bill in an 18-5 vote on February 16. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2012.

(New York, February 23, 2011) — After the Department of Justice announced that it will no longer defend the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" in court, Lambda Legal issued the following statement from Legal Director Jon Davidson:

"Under so-called 'income splitting,' the IRS is requiring all same-sex married couples or registered domestic partners in California to divide their combined income equally and report it on their separate tax returns.

"For some couples, it will mean more money in their 2010 refund; for others, they'll pay more in taxes.

"Either way, the change is significant, both monetarily and emotionally, officials of Lambda Legal, the national gay and lesbian legal rights group, said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters.

"An Arizona law removing domestic partner benefits for state employees discriminates against same-sex couples because they can't get married to qualify, an attorney argued Monday before an appeals court panel.

"'It requires gays and lesbians to go to work every day with the humiliating message that they are not equal,' said Tara Borelli, an attorney representing 10 same-sex couples suing over the change.

(Honolulu, February 16, 2011) — Lambda Legal reacted with pleasure to the final legislative approval today of SB 232, a bill establishing civil unions for Hawai`i couples. Voting 18-5, the Hawai`i Senate accepted amendments made before the House passed the bill last Friday, February 11, 2011 by a 31-19 vote.

The bill originated in the Senate, which approved it on January 28, 2011 by a 19-6 margin. It now goes to Governor Abercrombie, who not only has promised to sign it but made it a campaign issue last year. Once enacted, the new law will take effect on January 1, 2012.

(San Francisco, February 16, 2011) — Today the California Supreme Court agreed to answer a question by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on whether or not supporters of a California ballot measure can continue litigation about that measure’s constitutionality when state officials decide against doing so. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals certified the question in the Prop 8 case, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, on January 4. In response to today’s announcement, Marriage Project Director Jennifer C.