Meghan Freed was called by WNPR’s Where We Live to comment as news broke of that the United States Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor. The Court held that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which restricted the federal interpretation of “marriage” and “spouse” to apply only to heterosexual unions, was unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Meghan also addressed the court’s separate 5–4 decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry — a case related to California’s constitutional amendment initiative barring same-sex marriage. That decision effectively allowed California same-sex marriages to resume after the court ruled that the proponents of the initiative lacked Article III standing to appeal in federal court based on its established interpretation of the case or controversy clause.
Full audio here: https://www.yourpublicmedia.org/node/26303