Discuss the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling regarding the status of the Defense of Marriage Act

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: Some states have legalized such marriages. Thus far, the District of Columbia and 19 states–California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico (eight counties), New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, , Rhode Island, and Washington –had laws permitting same-sex marriage. In June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. Specifically, the Court's ruling applies to the part of the law, which had previously denied federal benefits to gay and lesbian couples in states where such unions are permitted. The ruling means that same-sex couples lawfully married in their state can receive the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples, such as possible tax advantages by filing jointly, benefits for veterans' spouses, and inheritance-tax exemptions. The U.S. Supreme Court maintained that Section 3 violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law and treated marriage between same-sex individuals as less worthy than marriage between heterosexual couples.