The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA. The court's 5-to-4 decision means that the federal government will now have to provide the same benefits to gay couples as heterosexual couples. In a second case from California, the court declined to say whether state bans on gay marriage are constitutional, but in staying its hand, the court cleared the way for the most populous state to become the 13th that permits same-sex marriage. The two decisions, with shifting 5-to-4 majorities, gave marriage equality advocates not everything they wanted, but more than half. Striking Down DOMA DOMA, the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, bars the federal...
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