The US Supreme Court has announced that it will hear two days of
arguments relating to same-sex marriage at the end of March.
Last year, the court agreed to take up two cases one relating to
the Californian constitutional amendment, Prop 8, that sought to
ban same-sex marriage and another case that revolves around the
rights of same-sex couples to receive federal benefits that
opposite sex couples are entitled to. The second case revolves
around the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines
marriage as between a man and a woman, passed under President
Bill Clinton in 1996. President Obama has already stated that
his administration will not defend cases brought against it. A
provision of DOMA limits a range of health and pension benefits,
as well as favorable tax treatment, to heterosexual couples.
Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment, overturned a law
passed in California to allow same-sex marriage. The justices
will consider whether Prop 8 violates the Fourteenth Amendment
to the US Constitution. En