Obama administration will no longer defend DOMA

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In summary, the Defense of Marriage Act is a federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. However, the Obama administration has announced that they will no longer defend its constitutionality, stating that it reflects moral disapproval of same-sex relationships. This has sparked debate and criticism as it goes against the President's oath to uphold the laws of the USA, leading to concerns about the potential consequences of a president not defending a law they don't agree with. Some argue that this decision gives more freedom to individual states to vote on their own laws, while others express concern about a potential Republican president using similar tactics.
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NeoDevin said:
I never claimed that the actions of either HRC or K&S were ethical, just that they don't "bring the entire justice system into question".

True. It only brings the system into question in instances where a group has enough money to have a major influence.

For example, making sure three of the Iowa Supreme Court justices that voted to uphold same-sex marriage in an Iowa Supreme Court case were dismissed - the first justices ever to not be retained since Iowa's current procedures for retaining/dismissing justices was implemented in 1962.

Or, more common, if you're about to inititiate a divorce in a small town, it doesn't take much money to have initial consultations with all of the most worrisome divorce attorneys in the town. And any attorney you have an initial consultation with is barred from representing your spouse, regardless of whether you hire them or not. Obviously, this is legal, since only the person interviewing lawyers knows whether he's really considering hiring them or just making sure his spouse doesn't hire them, but it's still a workable, if unethical, strategy if you live in a small enough town and have at least enough money for the initial consultations.
 

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