President Obama approves Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay couples

President Barack Obama today expressed his approval of the Supreme Court's ruling that declared a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional and told the President that the DOMA law was unconstitutional. gave instructions the U.S. Attorney General to work with other members of the Obama administration to implement the Supreme Court's decision as soon as possible.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also issued the following. statement on the Supreme Court's decision declaring Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional:

"I applaud today's Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor holding that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. This discriminatory law denied thousands of legally married same-sex couples many important federal benefits, including immigration benefits. I am pleased that the Court agreed with the Administration's position that DOMA's restrictions violate the Constitution. Working with our federal partners, including the Department of Justice, we will implement today's decision to ensure that all married couples are treated equally and fairly in the administration of our immigration laws.

Thank you to all who worked hard to put an end to this kind of discrimination and many congratulations to all the gay couples who are now on their way to obtaining immigration benefits that they could not before.