• The Heritage Network
    • Resize:
    • A
    • A
    • A
  • Donate
  • same-sex marriage

    Marriage and the Judgment of the People

    Judicial tyranny is alive and well in the United States, and as a result the debate over the future of marriage may soon be front and center once again in the national news. Two major federal court rulings, one just released and another imminent, pose separate challenges to marriage. First, … More

    Cinderella Congress: Marriage Is Worth a Real Fight

    Perhaps the biggest news out of last week’s reaction to a federal judge striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was pundits’ response to the way the Obama Administration “threw the fight.” Echoing some of the most notorious boxing matches in the history of the ring, the Obama-Kagan Justice … More

    Marriage under Assault in Federal Courts: Why It Matters

    Marriage is under intensified assault in two federal courtrooms. Last week a federal district judge in Massachusetts acted alone to overrule 427 members of Congress who voted in 1996 to adopt the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a measure signed into law by President Clinton. DOMA has two major provisions. … More

    DC Court Rules No Right of Initiative on Marriage

    In May 2009 the District of Columbia City Council passed legislation to recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the city. When Councilmember Marion Barry opposed that legislation, fellow councilmember David Catania called Barry’s position “bigoted.” Today the D.C. Court of Appeals, which is the District’s version of a state supreme court, … More

    Federal Judge Strikes Down Defense of Marriage Act

    In 1996, by a vote of 342–67 in the House and 85–14 in the Senate, the United States Congress enacted the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and President Clinton signed it into law. Section 3 of DOMA defines marriage as the union of husband and wife for purposes of federal … More

    A Veto from Hawaii: Marriage Debate Needs More Than Last-Minute Legislative Maneuvers

    This past April, on the last day of the legislative session, the Hawaii House of Representatives voted 31–20 in favor of HB 444, a controversial measure creating civil unions. This week, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle replied with a veto of the bill. She states, “I have been open and consistent … More

    IRS Flouts the Defense of Marriage Act

    In a series of three letter rulings – here, here,  and here – issued in May, the Internal Revenue Service has reached conclusions that flout the plain meaning of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The rulings involve California’s domestic partnership law, which dates to 1999 and has been expanded … More

    Sacrificing for Religious Liberty: Same-Sex Marriage in Washington, D.C.

    With the decision by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to deny a stay requested by proponents of traditional marriage, the District of Columbia’s same-sex marriage law takes effect today.  Anticipating that event, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington took another step to comply with the law’s terms this past … More

    The D.C. Government’s Strike against Foster Kids – and Religious Liberty

    This week Washington, D.C. became the second U.S. jurisdiction to lose the benefit of Catholic Charities’ adoption and foster care services over the issue of same-sex marriage. Early next month, barring Congressional or judicial intervention, the District of Columbia will become the sixth U.S. jurisdiction to authorize same-sex marriage. As … More

    Consensus for Marriage Vote in DC

    Last week the District of Columbia’s Board of Elections and Ethics (BOEE) rejected, for the third time, a request by five D.C. citizens to put the issue of same-sex marriage to a popular vote. If the Board’s decision is upheld by the D.C. Superior Court and appeals fail, only the … More