Defense of Marriage Act

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a United States federal law which was signed by the then-President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996. The law defines that marriage can only be between one man and one woman in regard to federal or inter state recognition purposes in the United States. Under this law, no U.S. State or political subdivision is required to recognize same-sex marriage from other States. However, the Obama Administration, in 2011, announced that Section 3 was declared unconstitutional and would no longer defend it in courts. The Section 3 part of DOMA had been marked as not constitutional by eight federal courts as of 2012.
On June 26, 2013, Section 3 of the act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States. On December 13, 2022, it was officially repealed, or canceled, by the Respect for Marriage Act.