Congressional Democrats on Wednesday
reintroduced a bill which seeks to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA) – just hours after the Supreme Court handed a lethal blow to
the law.
While the high court's decision struck
down a critical part of the act, ensuring that the federal government
recognizes the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples, other
provisions of the law were not addressed in the challenge.
Representative Jerrold Nadler of New
York and Senator Dianne Feinstein of California reintroduced the bill
with 41 co-sponsors in the Senate and 161 in the House.
Nadler said that repeal was critical
despite Wednesday's ruling.
“This bill ensures repeal of section
2 of DOMA, which was not an issue in the Windsor case and
purports to excuse the states from even considering whether to honor
the marriage of a gay and lesbian couple performed by a sister
state,” Nadler said. “The bill also provides a uniform rule for
recognizing couples under federal law, ensuring that all lawfully
married couples will be recognized under federal law, no matter where
they live.”
Nadler first introduced the Respect for
Marriage Act in 2009.