Gay Marriage: Legal & Constitutional Issues
Primary Sources: Federal and State
- FDsys (Federal Digital System)Search for: same-sex marriage; also search for discussion on DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act)
- Congress.govFind the status and history of bills in the current or prior legislature of Congress. Includes Committee Reports, Roll Call votes, Public Laws, U.S. Code, Congressional Record, etc.
- New York State Legislature: Bills and LawsSearch bill text, status, summaries, sponsor memos, and floor vote. Links to search for NYS Legislative Bills, NYS Legislative Resolutions, and the Laws of New York (see also: Nexis Uni for Federal & State Codes - NY Consolidated Law Service).
Select historical documents:
- From FDsys: Search for Obergefell. Limit to court opinions in the left menu.
- From FDsys: A Government Accountability Office report on DOMA.
- From FDsys: 157 Cong. Rec. E336 - PRESIDENT OBAMA'S DECISION TO STOP DEFENDING DOMA
- Public Law: 104-199 (pdf): Defense of Marriage Act (was H.R. 3396)
- United States Code 28 U.S.C 1738B ; 1 U.S.C. 7 - Definition of “marriage” and “spouse”
- Search the Dept. of Justice (U.S.) site to see if the D.O.J. is defending D.O.M.A. Here is a statement from Attorney General Holder, February 12, 2011, on the issue.
- Search the White House Blog. Here is a post that "President Obama Supports Same-Sex Marriage" by Matt Compton, May 9, 2012.
- New York State Bill A8354 and Chapter law 95 (2011) can be found on this site. Here is the text of the Marriage Equality Law
- Proclamation no. 4 by Governor Cuomo proclaimed June 24, 2011 as a "Day to Commemorate Marriage Equality" in the state of New York.
- Governor Cuomo Announces Passage of the Marriage Equality Act.
The Constitution
You can access high resolution images and transcripts of the Constitution and Bill of Rights through the National Archive's "Charters of Freedom" website.
Cathy Michael
Cathy Michael
she/her