Calif. Judge Declares Federal 'Defense of Marriage Act' Unconstitutional

Calif. Judge Declares Federal 'Defense of Marriage Act' Unconstitutional | Common Dreams
A federal judge in California this week, ruling in favor of a lawsuit brought by state workers who sued the public-employee pension system for its refusal to cover same-sex couples, declared the Defense of Marriage Act (or DOMA) to be unconstitutional and an assault on the equal protections clause.
  A gay marriage supporter at last year's San Francisco pride parade. (Photograph: Susana Bates/Reuters) US District Judge Claudia Wilken said there was no evidence that the federally mandated DOMA provision was "rationally related to a legitimate government interest."
Wilken went on to say that gays and lesbians are constitutionally protected from "burdensome legislation that is the product of sheer antigay animus and devoid of any legitimate governmental purpose."