DOMA Repeal News 2013: Supreme Court Decision Celebrated, ‘Respect For Marriage Act’ Filed In Congress

The Supreme Court decision to strike down DOMA’s third provision has been celebrated by gay activists, celebrities and was hailed by President Obama as a “victory for American democracy.”

“It was a proud day, I think, for America,” said the president, explaining that the high court’s ruling upheld “a basic precept that we are all equal under the law.”

“Today marks a great victory for #LGBT community,” wrote New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who’s openly gay and currently running for mayor, on her Facebook page.

“Today the Supreme Court ruled that laws of this nation apply equally to all families – to my family, and to so many others in the State of New York and around the country.”

In his article, “Finishing the job: DOMA Repeal Bill Reintroduced,” Trudy Ring of the Advocate reported that now that the Supreme Court has struck down a key part of the DOMA, members of U.S. Congress have reintroduced a bill that will effectively repeal the law’s entirety.

New York Representative Jerrold Nadler and California Senator Dianne Feinstein reintroduced the bill in their respective chambers hours after Supreme Court released its decision.

The Democratic legislators have Republican backing for their bill, reported Ring.

There are 160 House cosponsors, including Republicans Ileana Ros-Lehtien of Florida and Richard Hanna of New York. All of 41 Senate cosponsors are Democrats or Independents.

“This bill ensures repeal of section 2 of DOMA, which was not at issue in the Windsor case and purports to excuse the states from even considering whether to honor the marriage of a gay [or] lesbian couple performed by a sister state,” Nadler said in statement.

“The bill also provides a uniform rule for recognizing couples under federal law, ensuring that all lawfully married couples will be recognized under federal law, no matter where they live.”

Sen. Feinstein, who was one of 14 senators originally opposed to DOMA when it passed in 1996, said that the bill “is necessary because inequities in the administration of more than 1,100 federal laws affected by DOMA — including Social Security and veterans benefits — will still need to be fixed.”

The Human Rights Campaign said in a blog post that the Respect for Marriage Act “would, in one action, create a single, government-wide rule that lawfully married same-sex couples living in states where their marriage is not recognized can equally access all federal benefits and protections.”