States that allow gay marriage can't force the federal government to provide benefits to those couples, the Obama administration argued Friday in court papers in a lawsuit by Massachusetts.
The Justice Department is at odds with Massachusetts — the first state to allow gay marriage — over a 1996 federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Massachusetts sued in July, saying that law is discriminatory and deprives gay couples in the state of some federal spousal benefits.
The Obama administration agrees the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, is discriminatory and wants it repealed, but says it has an obligation to defend laws enacted by Congress while they are on the books and can be reasonably defended.
There are many, many, many examples of how Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton and Bush Jr chose not to defend laws that they didn't agree with-- so it's bullshit that Obama has to take this position. Besides-- isn't Obama already refusing to enforce laws on medical marijuana and immigration?
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