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SAME SEX MARRIAGE. WHERE DO YOU STAND?. SAME SEX MARRIAGE. What’s Love got to do with it?. Who has the power?. Which level of government has traditionally had the power to regulate marriage?. MARRIAGE. It has always been a States Right to regulate marriage under the 10 th Amendment
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SAME SEX MARRIAGE WHERE DO YOU STAND?
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • What’s Love got to do with it?
Who has the power? • Which level of government has traditionally had the power to regulate marriage?
MARRIAGE • It has always been a States Right to regulate marriage under the 10th Amendment • Falls under the 10th Amendment “Reserved Powers”. • So what type of regulations have always existed about marriage?
MARRIAGE • So can the Federal Government pass a law that creates a national definition and rule about marriage?
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • It is all about federalism – • Who has the power to regulate marriage?????
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • DOMA is the big deal. Congress passed a law called the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • 1st – “a marriage is the legal union of a man and a woman as husband and wife, and a spouse is a husband or wife of the opposite sex.”
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • 2nd – “no State shall be required to give effect to a law of any other State with respect to a same-sex "marriage."
MARRIAGE • Under Federalism, is this law constitutional?
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • Step 1 - Is there an express power that gives the U.S. Congress the power to regulate marriage?
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • Step 2 – If there is no express power for the national government to regulate marriage, then is it connected to some other express power (the necessary and proper clause)?
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • So how does the Full Faith and Credit Clause come into play? • Where is it? • Article IV, Section 1
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • Article IV, Section 1 • “Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.” • What does this mean? It is about COOPERATION among the states.
Same Sex Marriage • So 1 state can force the other 49 to comply. • Is this what the Framers had in mind when they created our federal system?
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • Is there a Constitutional Right to get married? • Be careful here!
THE CONSTITUTION • 1st Amendment • 4th Amendment • 5th Amendment Due Process – Life, Liberty and Property • 9th Amendment – Power to the Peeps • 10th Amendment – Reserved Powers • 14th Amendment – Equal Protection and Due Process
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • SO WHO WINS? The Umpire of Federalism (the US Supreme Court) is about to tell us. • But one last piece!
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • Article IV, Section 1 – I forgot the rest of the provisions
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • Article IV, Section 1 • “the Congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.”
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • So the answer is??? • I do not know – wait and see as it has been challenged in court and it will get to the US Supreme Court in 2011-2012
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • Ted Olsen and David Boies, who faced off against each other in Bush v. Gore, have joined together to challenge Prop 8, the CA law overturning same-sex marriage.
SAME SEX MARRIAGE • Here is a link for video clips from their presentation: http://www.365gay.com/news/exclusive-video-olson-and-boies-qa-on-prop-8/