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LGBTQ+ Rights
United States v. Windsor
Decided: 2013
In brief
Struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages.
The Court's ruling in depth
Section 3 of DOMA defined 'marriage' for all federal purposes as between one man and one woman, denying legally married same-sex couples federal recognition. The Court struck it down as violating equal protection principles under the Fifth Amendment, holding its 'principal purpose' was to impose inequality. Windsor set the stage for Obergefell two years later.