Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA): A federal law signed by President Clinton in 1996. This law is designed to keep gay marriage an issue of the individual states. DOMA states that the federal government will not recognize a gay marriage performed in a state where it's legal - and that a state where gay marriage is not legal does not have to recognize a gay marriage performed in a state where it is.
Just a few negative implications of DOMA include: inability for a bi-national same-sex partner to get a green card by marrying his or her partner; and filing as "single" on federal tax returns.
On Wednesday, February 23, 2011, the Obama administration indicated that they would stop defending the use of DOMA in court (there are several cases pending). This is progress, however DOMA will continue to be enforced until a Congressional repeal or a court renders a “definitive verdict” on whether DOMA is constitutional. Until that happens, DOMA will continue to block access to 1,138 Federal rights and responsibilities for gay couples.
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