Justices will review two cases next year that could make same-sex marriage legal nationally.
There are 120,000 legally married same-sex couples in the U.S. and in less than a month, Mainers will be adding to that number. But under federal law, those marriages aren't recognized. Some are hopeful these Supreme Court decisions will change that.
In late Spring, the Supreme Court will hear an appeal to California's Proposition 8, a voter approved referendum that took away the right of same-sex marriage that was previous approved by the state's courts.
The high court will also hear Edith Windsor's challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which denies federal benefits to same-sex couples. Windsor and her long time love, Thea Spyer, were legally married and lived in New York. When Spyer died, Windsor was forced to pay a federal estate tax bill much larger than married couples because her spouse was a woman, and the federal government didn't recognize their marriage.
If DOMA is found unconstitutional, same-sex couples married at the state level will be eligible for the same federal benefits as opposite-sex couples. Some of the biggest changes would be in tax bills.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in March and hand down its ruling in June.
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