Senator John Kerry Backs DOMA Lawsuit in Massachusetts

On July 9th, 2009, Senator John Kerry released a statement supporting Massachusetts’s court challenge of the Defense of Marriage Act.

 Kerry is backing the lawsuit filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Senator Kerry was the only Senator running for reelection who voted against the DOMA in 1996, and he has continued to rail against the DOMA since then.

 “Denying same sex couples the same rights and protections under the law as enjoyed by opposite sex couples has absolutely nothing to do with defending marriage. This lawsuit is a necessary step in ensuring everyone in Massachusetts can live their lives and raise their families secure in the knowledge that their commitment to each other doesn’t make them any less an American than their heterosexual families, friends and neighbors,” said Senator Kerry.

 Kerry’s support for the suit shows he desires to keep the power of jurisdiction over marriage in state’s hands, as it was until the DOMA was passed in 1996. Massachusetts was the first state to make gay marriage legal and Kerry’s support for the DOMA lawsuit strengthens the state’s reputation as among the most progressive in the nation.

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