The Supreme Court rules on DOMA and Proposition 8

On the eve of the Stonewall anniversary, at the pinnacle of Gay Pride Month, what could be more appropriate?

First, a story.

When I lived in Boston, I had an acquaintance who was a Rabbinical student who also liked to go to Eucharistic adoration and was very much interested in Fatima, as well as Charismatic prayer meetings.  I lost touch with him, and never knew what became of him, but something he once said to me stayed with me through the years.  I must have mentioned to him that another guy I knew wanted me to move in with him.  The other man was also interested in a relationship.  I was living as a sort of hermit in a small room on Beacon Hill at the time.  I wasn't at all interested in a relationship or moving in with anyone.  The young man with whom I shared the story must have foreseen a strong temptation I would face later.  Interrupting me, he said something rather extraordinary, about throwing away my relationship with Christ in order to have more security.  He then referenced St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews, which in turn references the story in Genesis concerning Esau: My friend pleaded with me:  "Do not exchange your birthright for a meal."

I have friends who told me they are in discussions with their financial advisor whether or not it is to their benefit financially to get married in Minnesota now that same sex marriage has become legal.  Gay marriage is very much about inheritance, financial security and benefits.

Today the Supreme Court enacted rulings that support gay marriage.

The U.S. Supreme Court today paved the way for same-sex couples to marry soon in California, effectively leaving intact a lower-court ruling that struck down the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage. 

In a ruling that assures further legal battles, the high court found that backers of Proposition 8 did not have the legal right to defend the voter-approved gay marriage ban in place of the governor and attorney general, who have refused to press appeals of a federal judge's 2010 ruling finding the law unconstitutional. 

The Supreme Court ruling, which found it had no legal authority to decide the merits of a challenge to Proposition 8, sends the case back to that original decision -- and the only question now is how quickly same-sex couples can marry and whether that ruling will have immediate statewide effect.

The Supreme Court also struck down a 1996 federal law denying benefits to same-sex couples, a major victory for gay rights advocates seeking the right to marry. In a 5-4 ruling written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the high court found the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional because it violates the equal protection rights of same-sex couples. 

The Supreme Court's decision in the DOMA case immediately provides full federal benefits to same-sex couples in the 12 states that have legalized gay marriage, and would apply in California with Proposition 8 overturned. It also would provide federal benefits to the more than 18,000 same-sex couples married in 2008 before Proposition 8 was passed. - Source

USCCB responds: Today is a tragic day for marriage and our nation.