US v. Windsor

U.S. v. Windsor was a Supreme Court case in 2013 that struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denied federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples. The Court ruled that DOMA’s definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman was unconstitutional because it violated the Fifth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection. This decision recognized same-sex marriages as legally valid for federal purposes, granting married gay couples access to benefits like tax relief and Social Security. It was a key step toward broader marriage equality in the United States.