DOMA Legislation Analysis

260 Words2 Pages
This situation was some time in coming, as events in recent years amplified the role of the federal government in the matter. Perhaps the most striking example of how that role has been carried out is the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) legislation of 1996. In 1993 the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that it saw no constitutional basis for denying same-sex marriage; this created huge shock waves both in Hawaii and through the United States and the federal response was the creation of DOMA. The Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause affirms that states are obligated to honor one another’s marriage licenses, as when age differences exist in different states. DOMA, very much a Republican administration reaction, reversed this and no state was