New filing are expected at the U.S. Supreme Court in pending certiorari petitions involving the constitutional challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, a law prohibiting the federal recognition of same-sex marriages even where they are allowed under state law.

The filings, from both the Obama administration and House Republicans defending the law, could be in response to a recent 2^nd Circuit ruling striking down the law and extending constitutional protections for gays and lesbians. The justices had been expected to soon decide whether to take any or all of the cases up, but could delay that move in order to consider all DOMA-related challenges at once, SCOTUSblog’s Lyle Denniston explains.

In addition to the DOMA petitions, the justices have also been asked to take up the case challenging California’s voter-approved Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in that state.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 24th, 2012 at 7:45 am and is filed under Supreme Court. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.