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The Supreme Court may soon decide if the federal government will recognize same-sex marriage, a decision with profound implications for unions between American citizens and their foreign-born spouses. The family of one Washington, D.C.-area couple is "watching for that decision big time."
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Federal election law gives married couples some advantages in making political contributions. The Federal Election Commission this week tried to make those same breaks available to couples in same-sex marriages — but commissioners said they're thwarted by the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
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Even if the Supreme Court strikes down a law barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, the tangle over health benefits could remain a problem for couples in some states.
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A majority in the U.S. Senate now supports gay marriage, but a handful of prominent Democrats still haven't joined their party on the issue.
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Same-sex couples in the military will be watching closely now that the U.S. Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Anxiously awaiting a decision are Army lieutenant colonel Heather Mack and her wife, Ashley Broadway, who've been together for 15 years and have two children. They say repealing DOMA would help many enlisted same-sex military couples, who don't receive funds to move non-military spouses from one base to the next. But most of all, Broadway and Mack say repealing DOMA would give them the recognition they crave: to have their marriage officially recognized in every state in the country. Jessia Jones of WUNC talked with the couple.
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A look back at landmark cases makes clear that the Supreme Court never really knows exactly how its decisions will play out — especially not in the long run. That uncertainty must loom over the justices now as they contemplate the issue of gay marriage.
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In oral arguments, several Supreme Court justices expressed strong skepticism about DOMA, the law that bars same-sex couples legally married under state law from receiving the same federal benefits as married heterosexual couples.
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The court's final day of arguments involving same-sex marriage laws served up some memorable observations. Here are five key questions that came up as the justices debated the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
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It's not certain the justices will decide they should rule on the Defense of Marriage Act's constitutionality. But if they do, it looks as though Justice Anthony Kennedy might join the court's four "liberal" judges to strike down the law.