federal government

The federal government announced it would recognize the marriages of those in Michigan who ran to get married after a district court ruling.

It's still unclear whether the state will honor the 1,360 same-sex unions that took place in the 17 days when they were legal.

It's still unclear whether the state will honor the 1,360 same-sex unions that took place in the 17 days when they were legal.

The state of Massachusetts is suing the federal government over the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The DOMA interferes with the state's right to extend the definition of marriage to include lesbian and gay couples.

A bill proposed by a Texas congressman would prevent the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages in states where such unions are not legal.

David Barton, the evangelical Christian founder of the group Wallbuilders, thinks that the federal government should regulate gay sex the way it does alcohol, cigarettes, and certain harmful food ingredients. Barton and his co-host Rick Green made the bigoted proposal during their Wallbuilders radio program on Tuesday, in which they butchered health statistics to argue for one area where their limited government agenda could make room for federal intervention.

When the federal government officially shut down at midnight, MSNBC went to its most popular anchor, Rachel Maddow, who warned viewers, "Elect Republicans and they will burn the place down.”

A lawsuit challenging a federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman is getting its first hearing in court Thursday. A federal judge in Boston is hearing arguments on a constitutional challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act. The case, brought by Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), challenges Section 3 of DOMA, which prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. 

Speaker John Boehner’s insistence on fighting to keep the Defense of Marriage Act is busting his budget, according to a complaint filed by a government watchdog group. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics alleges that Boehner directed payment of $500,000 to the law firm selected to defend DOMA and that not only is that more money than the federal government has to spend, it’s also illegal.CREW points to the Antideficiency Act, which it says is designed to stop government officials from overspending - violations of which can lead to jail time.

House Republicans have recruited former Solicitor General Paul Clement to represent the government in federal cases challenging the Defense of Marriage Act. House attorneys are expected to file a motion to intervene in Windsor v. United States of America in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Edie Windsor sued after the federal government refused to recognize her marriage to Thea Spyer, who died in 2009. As a result of DOMA, Windsor was forced to pay estate tax — a six-figure bill she would have been exempt from were her marriage recognized.

A Michigan woman raising her child with her partner said the Army won't let her reenlist due to the military's own policies on child custody butting up against laws barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex couples.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled against the Defense of Marriage Act today in the case, Windsor v. United States, involving the lesbian widow, Edith “Edie” Windsor, marking the second time a federal appeals court has found the 1996 law unconstitutional. Defenders of DOMA could not demonstrate a legitimate interest for the federal government to treat same-sex married couples differently from any other married couples, the court ruled.

It feels so good to know that competence will once again take its rightful place over cronyism in our federal government. The presidential appointments of the last eight years have been nothing more than a parade of George W. Bush’s political pals. Competence was never really a factor.

Thousands of LGBT people and their friends, family, and allies, gathered in San Francisco this weekend to celebrate Pride, along with two historic Supreme Court rulings that returned marriage equality to California and struck down a key section of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act that barred the federal government from recognizing legally married same-sex couples.

The Montana Republican Party has included the criminalization of homosexual acts in its new platform for 2010. The state party outlines several key goals for its politicians in the areas of agriculture, federal government, and taxes. Under the "homosexual acts" subsection of the crime section, the Montana GOP writes, "We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal."

Fifteen years after Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, the U.S. Senate finally has an official record of why the legislation was indeed a mistake — even if some witnesses asserted in Wednesday’s hearing (with questionable supporting evidence) that the federal government has a vested interest in discriminating against married same-sex couples. Here’s a sampling of the powerful testimony in support of DOMA repeal submitted for the hearing.

Confirming what LGBT immigration groups have been saying since Wednesday's historic Supreme Court ruling striking down a section of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act that prohibited the federal government from recognizing legal same-sex marriages, the department of Homeland Security today issued a statement affirming that married gay and lesbian couples will be treated like married straight couples for immigration purposes.

Married gay and lesbian veterans will now be eligible for the same benefits afforded to married straight veterans, according to an announcement from Attorney General Eric Holder today.