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US Supreme Court to rule on gay marriage cases | US Supreme Court to rule on gay marriage cases |
(35 minutes later) | |
The US Supreme Court has agreed for the first time to hear challenges to laws banning gay marriage in the US. | |
The href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/120712zr_3f14.pdf" >court will hear challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act (Doma), which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. | |
It will also consider Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment in California that overturned a state law allowing gay weddings. | |
The court is likely to hear the cases in March next year. | |
A ruling could be issued in June. | |
Both Proposition 8 and Doma have been previously struck down by lower courts, | |
'Unfair discrimination' | |
Backers of the California case argue that voters in the state breached the US Constitution by passing Proposition 9. | |
They will argue that a state Supreme Court ruling allowing gay marriage to go ahead should stand. No gay weddings are currently allowed in California, pending the outcome of the Proposition 8 case. | |
Doma, a federal law signed by former President Bill Clinton, has been overturned by four federal courts and two courts of appeal. They said Doma unfairly discriminated against same-sex couples. | |
President Barack Obama, who backed gay marriage in May, also took the unusual step of announcing that his administration would not back Doma in court. | |
But the law is supported by Republicans in Congress. | |
The court was also asked to consider the merits of a challenge to part of a 2009 Arizona law granting marital benefits only to legally married state employees. Gay marriage is not legal in Arizona. | |
But the nine justices chose not to hear that case, instead opting for the two cases analysts say offer a chance of a broad ruling. |