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How did the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 decision affect the federal Defense of Marriage Act?

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A Hindu couple in elaborate gold headdresses and traditional attire is blessed by a priest during their wedding ceremony in Bali, Indonesia, with ceremonial offerings on the table. — Marriage A Hindu couple being blessed by a priest during their wedding ceremony, Bali, Indonesia.

In the 2013 decision United States v. Windsor, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).12

Prior to this ruling, DOMA had defined marriage for all federal purposes as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman, which prevented legally married same-sex couples from accessing over 1,000 federal protections, benefits, and responsibilities. The Court held that this definition violated the Fifth Amendment by imposing "restrictions and disabilities" on same-sex couples, thereby seeking to "injure" and "demean" a class of persons that states had otherwise chosen to protect through the recognition of their marriages.12

While Windsor invalidated the federal definition of marriage, it did not immediately strike down state-level bans on same-sex marriage. Those remaining restrictions were later addressed in the 2015 case Obergefell v. Hodges, and DOMA was formally repealed by the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022.13