NOM BLOG

NOM Founding Chairman Prof. George Argues for DOMA in Pennsylvania Federal Court

 

NOM Founding Chairman Prof. Robert P. George is mentioned in this article defending DOMA:

The federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) came into play in a civil court case argued this week in a federal court in Pennsylvania.

Ellyn Farley was a lawyer working for a Pennsylvania-based firm before she died in 2010 of cancer. In her will, she designated her elderly mother as the beneficiary of her life insurance and retirement packages. To her lesbian partner, Jennifer Tobits, she left her Jeep, the condominium they shared, and the all the cash in her bank account.

Tobits, however, is suing Farley’s parents for the life insurance and retirement benefits, saying she is entitled to them because she and Farley had a same-sex marriage ceremony performed in Canada in 2006.

DOMA, however, means same-sex marriages performed in other countries are not recognized by federal law, including those laws that apply to retirement plans and other federal benefits. And neither Pennsylvania, where Farley’s law firm is based, nor Illinois, where the women live, have a state law redefining marriage.

...Though it’s essentially a property dispute, the case, which was argued for more than four hours Monday, brought out eight separate legal teams: One for Tobits; one for Farley’s parents; one for the law firm where Farley was employed; one each for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Frederick Douglas Foundation and Princeton University Prof. Robert George, who are defending DOMA; and one each for the Obama administration and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which are challenging it. -- CitizenLink

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