The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), passed in 1996, was a U.S. law defining marriage for federal purposes as only between one man and one woman. This meant that, even if a state recognized same-sex marriages, the federal government did not, affecting federal benefits and legal recognitions for same-sex couples. In 2013, the Supreme Court declared key parts of DOMA unconstitutional, leading to full recognition of same-sex marriages across the U.S. DOMA's primary effect was to limit legal rights and benefits for LGBTQ+ couples until its invalidation.