"Yes, and Justice Kennedy wrote a pretty strong opinion, saying that this is a - that marriage is a matter of liberty, fundamental liberty in this country, and that persons deserve the equal protection of the laws, and that this law violated both the right to liberty and equality for same-sex couples. He talked about there's an evolving understanding of equality in this country and this sort of new perspective."
"This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan, in Washington. Today, the Supreme Court recognized a fundamental shift on equal rights for gays and lesbians. In two highly anticipated cases, the court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal marriage benefits to couples of the same sex, and then effectively struck down California's Proposition 8, which means that gay marriage is now legal in 13 states and the District of Columbia."
A 5-4 Supreme Court decision invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act, finding that the law denied same-sex couples liberty and equal protection under the Constitution. The Court also effectively nullified California's Proposition 8, allowing same-sex marriages to be legally recognized in additional jurisdictions. The opinion described marriage as implicating fundamental liberty interests and noted that legal understandings of equality evolve over time. The rulings extend federal marriage benefits to legally married same-sex couples and increase the number of states permitting same-sex marriage to thirteen plus the District of Columbia. The decisions represent a significant change in federal recognition of marriage equality.
Read at www.npr.org
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