Tag Archives: Defense of Marriage Act

Alumna successfully challenges DOMA

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The federal lawsuit that successfully challenged the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act was filed by a Temple alumna.

Edith Windsor, 83, graduated from the College of Liberal Arts in 1950. Today, the Supreme Court ruled that DOMA, a federal law that denied benefits of marriage to same-sex couples, was unconstitutional.

In December, the high court agreed to hear Windsor’s case, which specifically argues against a section that prohibits same-sex spouses from receiving a number of benefits. That section has caused its fair share of costly problems for Windsor, whose wife, Thea Spyer, died in 2009 (because she wasn’t considered a spouse by the IRS, she’s paid more than $600,000 in taxes).

President Barack Obama called Windsor just after 11 a.m. to offer his congratulations.

Alumna behind same-sex marriage case heading to Supreme Court

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A federal lawsuit challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act set to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court was filed by a Temple alumna, the New York Times reports.

Edith Windsor, an 83-year-old alumna, has challenged the federal law, specifically a section that prohibits same-sex spouses from receiving a number of benefits. That section has caused its fair share of costly problems for Windsor, whose wife, Thea Spyer, died in 2009 (because she wasn’t considered a spouse by the IRS, she’s paid more than $600,000 in taxes).

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case last week.

Experts in the Times report seem to think Windsor’s story – specifically the emphasis on a perhaps-unequal tax level – will resonate with members of the highest court. How do you think the Supreme Court will stand on the issue?