Source #13
Summary: This source summarizes and explains the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The Act
gives states the right to ignore the U.S. Constitution’s “Full Faith and Credit” clause in issues
regarding same-sex marriage, and defines “marriage” for federal purposes, as a union between
“one man and one woman.”
Source Title: “‘Defense of Marriage Act’ 5/96 H.R. 3396 Summary/Analysis”
Publication Title: ‘Lectric Law Library
Source Publication Date: (DOMA introduced to H.R. on 5/7/96)
Publication Headquarters: Carson City, NV
Source Author: --Source URL: http://www.lectlaw.com/files/leg23.htm
Medium: Web
Originally Accessed*: 12/2/10
Support:
- Murphy v. Ramsey 114 U.S. 15, 45 (1985).
- Singer v. Hara, 1984.
- Black’s Law Dictionary, 1990.
Primary Sources:
- Text of H.B. 3396 – “Defense of Marriage Act”
Support Summary: The sources listed under “Support” were used to show instances in
which the now explicit definition of “marriage” has been used in the past. DOMA just spells out
what has been “understood under federal law for over 200 years.” The “Primary Source” I have
listed is the text of DOMA that was included with the summary/analysis.
Source Analysis: The language of this analysis still seems rather dense, so I’m guessing the
‘Lectric Law Library is intended more for legal professionals who need to look something up
quickly, and people like me with school projects. I can’t see the average person going here for a
crash course on DOMA. The site’s “Selected Usage Statistics” haven’t been updated since
February of 1999, but in January of that year the site received 1,093,405 hits from 473,444
visitors.
Usefulness: This source gave me a decent overview of what exactly DOMA changed in the
federal laws regarding “marriage” in the United States. Seeing as the source is a legal document,
I wouldn’t say the ‘Lectric Law Library has a particular argument itself, but there mere existence
of DOMA is a stance against same-sex marriage. Seeing as this source hasn’t been updated
since God knows when, it doesn’t cover anything about how DOMA is affecting Americans
now.
Works Cited:
- ‘Lectric Law Library Usage Statistics: http://www.lectlaw.com/lll/usestats.htm
*Original Access date is based on the date listed for when the page was added to my Delicious
Bookmarks account. I usually bookmark a source as soon as I decide it might be of use to me, so
these dates should be fairly accurate.