"U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford issued a 104-page decision saying the provision in the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act violates the Fifth Amendment right to equal protection.

The provision "obligates the federal government to single out a certain category of marriages as excluded from federal recognition, thereby resulting in an inconsistent distribution of federal marital benefits," Bryant wrote.

Bryant also noted that "many courts have concluded that homosexuals have suffered a long and significant history of purposeful discrimination."

The ruling came in the case of six married same-sex couples and a widower from Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont who sued after being denied federal benefits, including recognition under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the federal tax code, Social Security death benefits and the New Hampshire Retirement System's contribution to Medicare Insurance.

Several federal judges across the country have issued similar rulings. In late May, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston also ruled the law unconstitutional. And in early July, the Obama administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the legal fights over the Defense of Marriage Act."

Irony is the spokesman says the coming elections are important
for judicial appointments. (moron Bush appointed this Judge)