On the Case: Answering All the What Ifs Leading Up to the Prop 8 and DOMA Cases

We’ve been waiting for this week to come for a while. Tomorrow and Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear cases for and against California’s Prop 8, a constitutional measure that says “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” and the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, effectively leaving gay couples married in states that allow same-sex nuptials without federal benefits promised to their heterosexual counterparts.

The judges can decide on a number of outcomes when weighing in on these two cases — from banning them completely to deeming them completely constitutional and everything in between. To help get a grasp of some of the possible routes they could take and what that would mean for the rest of us, LGBTQ Nation has put together a comprehensive Q&A, where they answer practical questions like “What if the court strikes down Prop 8?” and “What procedural problems could prevent the court from reaching a decision about DOMA?.”

It’s a nice collection of facts to ease you into this week’s court cases with a little extra knowledge. Check out the entire article here, and click back to G Philly this week for all the latest updates.

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