Ropes & Gray Amicus Briefs Support Supreme Court Ruling on Defense of Marriage Act

On June 26, the United States Supreme Court struck down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denied federal benefits to gay couples married under state law, and let stand a ruling that found Proposition 8, the 2008 voter initiative that ended same-sex marriage in California, unconstitutional.  Ropes & Gray had previously joined in an amicus brief filed by a number of businesses explaining many of the hidden costs to same-sex married couples, their families, and their employers, as a result of DOMA's discriminatory policy.  In addition, Ropes & Gray filed four briefs on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League and a number of religious organizations arguing that DOMA impermissibly favored one religious view of marriage over the views of other religious groups, many of which support marriage equality. The firm filed briefs in each of the First, Second, and Ninth Circuit cases, and again in the Supreme Court in the DOMA case.