US poised to make changes to justice system - giving legal recognition to same-sex marriages

During a speech at an event in New York City for the Human Rights Campaign, Attorney General Eric Holder released planed changes within the US Justice Department to extend benefits to same-sex married couples, including the legal right not to testify against each other in civil and criminal cases.

Follow the 1461

Please click here to Like us on Facebook!

A Supreme Court ruling last year said the federal government cannot refuse to recognize same-sex marriages carried out in states that allow them. The Supreme Court in June struck down part of a 1996 federal law, the Defense of Marriage Act, which barred the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. Same-sex marriages are currently legal in 17 US states and in Washington DC.


A written memo to Justice Department employees will follow on Monday.

The memo will “formally instruct all department employees to give lawful same-sex marriages full and equal recognition, to the greatest extent possible under the law,”

Join the conversation and post your thoughts in the comments!
Read the 1461 Comment Guidelines.

1461 reaches 300,000 monthly!
Join our Facebook page by clicking here!