Defense Of Marriage Act Takes New Turn
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) –- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is speaking out about House Speaker John Boehner's announcement that he plans to fight to uphold the Defense of Marriage Act.
DOMA was enacted in 1996 and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex partnerships that were legally recognized in other states.
Boehner said the House will fight to uphold DOMA in court, just over a week after President Barack Obama's Justice Department said it would no longer defend the constitutionality of the law.
He said he would convene the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, which has the authority to direct the office of the House General Consul to take legal action.
KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:
"He said he would use it to decide something," said Pelosi. "We don't know what that something is. They have three votes and we have two. I'll be curious what he has to say."
Pelosi said convening the group, of which she is a member, is not unique as it has been used before.
"But it is an extraordinary means that a Speaker would go to on the subject of DOMA," said Pelosi.
Pelosi said she believes that upholding the Defense of Marriage Act is not a priority for the majority of Americans – jobs are.
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