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Papers
- -Supreme Court Rolls Back the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Time.com)
"By a slim 5-vote majority, the justices struck down a provision that requires certain jurisdictions, mostly counties in the South, to receive permission from the federal government before changing any law related to voting." 06-13
- -Supreme Court Strikes Down the Defense of Marriage Act (CNN News)
"In a dramatic slap at congressional authority, a divided Supreme Court has struck down a key part of a law that denies to legally married same-sex couples the same federal benefits provided to heterosexual spouses."
"The case examined whether the federal government can deny tax, health and pension benefits to same-sex couples in states where they can legally marry. At issue was whether DOMA violates equal protection guarantees in the Fifth Amendment's due process clause as applied to same-sex couples legally married under the laws of their states."
"Kennedy in his opinion used sweeping language to affirm the rights of gays and lesbians."
" 'For same-sex couples who wished to be married, the state (of New York) acted to give their lawful conduct a lawful status. This status is a far-reaching legal acknowledgment of the intimate relationship between two people, a relationship deemed by the state worthy of dignity in the community equal with all other marriages,' he said. 'DOMA seeks to injure the very class New York seeks to protect.' " 06-13
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