Same-sex marriage has been recognized in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 2004, when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued its opinion on the landmark case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. While this was a great stride forward for same-sex couples, it did not mean that they could file joint federal tax returns or claim other federal benefits as a married couple since the Defense of Marriage Act allowed the federal government and other states to not recognize same-sex marriages, even if they were entered into in a state in which same-same sex marriage was legal.
In other words, it was a law that overturned the full faith and credit clause of the constitution with respect to same-sex couples and their marriages. It was not until the United States Supreme Court released its opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, that the Defense of Marriage Act, was struck down as unconstitutional for a variety of reasons, including the Full Faith and Credit Clause, as well as reasons involving equal protection for all Americans. Continue reading
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