Led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, 145 House Democrats filed an amicus brief with the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit opposing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The law, which prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marrige, is being defended by House Republicans.
The group — which includes several members of Congress who voted for DOMA back in 1996 — now believes that DOMA “lacks a rational relationship to any legitimate federal purpose and accordingly is unconstitutional,” according to the brief. The brief says that some members of Congress “capitalized” on “false stereotypes and reflexive bias” that dominated the public debate.