First Circuit Finds DOMA Unconstitutional

In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional. Section 3 denies federal economic and other benefits to legally married same-sex couples and to surviving same sex spouses. The court found that federalism bars Congress from interfering with states that opt to legalize same-sex marriages. A copy of the opinion is available here.