Supreme Court poised to enter battle over same-sex marriage

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The Hill:

The Supreme Court is expected to announce within days that it will consider whether same-sex marriage deserves equal treatment under federal law.

The justices will meet behind closed doors Friday to weigh a slew of appeals in same-sex marriage cases. Observers predict the justices will take up at least one of them — most likely a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

“Obviously, they have to take one of the DOMA cases,” said Michael Carvin, a partner at the law firm Jones Day and a former clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas.

Congress passed DOMA in 1996 to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The law prohibits states from providing certain benefits to same-sex couples, even when those states recognize gay marriage.

The Supreme Court is more likely to take cases in which courts have struck down a federal law, and two federal appeals courts have ruled DOMA unconstitutional.