This morning, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Hollingsworth v. Perry, a constitutional challenge to California’s definition of marriage as the union of a man and woman. During the oral argument, both Justices Anthony Kennedy and Samuel Alito noted that same-sex marriage was a very recent experiment—just over a …
Earlier this month, 11-year-old Grace Evans appeared before a panel of Minnesota lawmakers considering a redefinition of marriage in that state. She testified to the significance of her mother and father and the different contributions each makes to her life. Then she ended with a simple question: “Which parent do …
Those pressing the Supreme Court to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8 essentially argue that marriage as we’ve always known it is not constitutional. But redefining marriage would make marriage about the desires of adults rather than the well-being of children. That was the …
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement yesterday indicating its support for same-sex marriage. Based on “extensive research,” this statement from a scientific organization may seem authoritative. In reality, however, the AAP’s position is based on ideology, not science. The AAP claims that children “receive similar parenting …
The marriage debate is about more than romance between adults. Society’s interest in the upbringing of children and marriage’s unique ability to serve that interest explains the government’s involvement in the institution, argues Helen Alvare, a law professor at George Mason University and a leading expert on marriage and family …
George Will opens his recent column criticizing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on federalism grounds by quoting from a 1948 Supreme Court case: “[U]nder the Constitution, the regulation and control of marital and family relationships are reserved to the States.” What he doesn’t point out is that the citation …
Senator Pat Roberts’s (R–KS) amendment to the Senate’s budget plan (S.Con.Res. 8) to eliminate funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) Employment and Training Program is a serious attempt at imposing some much-needed fiscal discipline in Congress. According to the Government Accountability Office, officials at SNAP did not track …
Religious liberty doesn’t stop at the church doors. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the nonpartisan public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religions, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court making the case that legal recognition of same-sex relationships as marriages creates hazards for …
The United States Constitution should be interpreted without appeal to foreign law or international norms. In his dissenting opinion in Atkins v. Virginia, Justice Antonin Scalia famously noted that our Constitution and laws should not be interpreted in light of “the practices of the ‘world community,’ whose notions of justice …
