Richard Socarides, former president of Equality Matters and former adviser on LGBT issues to President Clinton, joins “Viewpoint” host Eliot Spitzer to assess the Obama administration’s request for a prompt Supreme Court review of two lower court cases that challenge the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA defines marriage as being between a man and a woman and has prevented federal recognition of same-sex marriages.
“I think there are certainly five votes on the Supreme Court now to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act. I think you’ve got the four progressive justices, Democratically appointed, and I think that you have, we have, Anthony Kennedy, who’s written the two most important pro–gay rights decisions on the court so far,” Socarides says. “The real question is — are there enough votes to get to 6-3, to declare the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional?”
Watch Spitzer and Socarides continue this conversation in a “Viewpoint” Web exclusive here.
