Edith Windsor, the 83-year-old
plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA), said Thursday she was thrilled with a judge's ruling in her
favor.
On Wednesday, New York District Court
Judge Barbara Jones ruled in favor of Windsor, who received an estate
bill of more than $360,000 after the death of her wife Thea Spyer.
Windsor sued, arguing that DOMA, which bars federal agencies from
recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples, violates
the equal protection guarantee of the U.S. Constitution.
“Obviously I'm thrilled with the
judge's decision,” Windsor told reporters during a press
conference. “And when I think about what federal recognition of
marriage by same-sex couples would mean, I think it would mean
justice and fairness instead of the inherent injustice of a law that
treats married people as though they were legal strangers to each
other.”
Windsor and Spyer shared their lives
for 44 years and married in Toronto, Canada in 2007. In 2009, New
York began recognizing the marriages of gay couples, although gay
couples could not enter such unions in the Empire State. Spyer died
in 2009.
Windsor said she sued the federal
government because paying the tax bill was a heavy burden for a
senior citizen living on a fixed income. (The video is embedded in
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