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Opinion L.A.

Opinion: Marriage wars in a different arena

By Michael McGough
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Several members of Congress -- including California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein -- have introduced legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. The Obama administration made news recently when it said it wouldn’t defend DOMA, as it’s known, against court challenges. (The law defines marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman and says that states are not obliged to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.)

But lawsuits over DOMA would be moot if Congress enacted the Respect for Marriage Act (a clever title). And we’d all be spared whining by conservatives about ‘unelected judges’ deciding social policy.

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Winning enactment of the Respect for Marriage Act might seem a quixotic effort, but the same could be said a few years ago about the repeal by Congress of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ I wouldn’t rule out judicial action on this subject, but it’s encouraging that activists are pressing their case with the legislative branch of government.

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--Michael McGough

Opinion L.A.
Michael McGough

Michael McGough is the Los Angeles Times’ former senior editorial writer, based in Washington, D.C. He wrote editorials for The Times from 2006 to 2021. Before that, McGough worked for 30 years for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a reporter, editorial writer, editorial page editor and Washington correspondent. He wrote about law, national security, politics, foreign policy and religion. McGough is a graduate of Allegheny College and also attended the University of Kent at Canterbury in England and Yale Law School, where he received a master of studies in law degree.

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