"The battle over same-sex marriage intensified this week after a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled unconstitutional the 1996 law that forbids the federal government to recognize gay marriages, a decision that could have repercussions in the District and the five states that allow gay unions," reports The Washington Post. "Gay rights groups celebrated the decision, hailing it as a small but important step in the effort to secure equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. Opponents immediately sounded the alarm, accusing the Obama administration of not vigorously defending existing law and faulting U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro in Boston for taking an activist stance in his rulings on two cases Thursday. As both sides await news of a likely appeal that could eventually lead to the Supreme Court, they are keeping an eye on California. A federal judge in San Francisco is expected to rule any day on whether voters in that state were within their rights when they supported a 2008 ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage. That decision could have major reverberations around the country and also end up before the nation's highest court." READ MORE


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