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Aug 12, 2011
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has joined the court challenge against the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that denies married gay couples federal benefits.
The brief filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan argues that the law violates same-sex couples’ right to equal protection under the U.S. Constitution.
New York legalized same-sex marriage this year and previously recognized such marriages legally performed elsewhere.
Schneiderman says the federal law “improperly intrudes” on states’ traditional role in defining marriage.
