Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2013
Abstract
This essay argues that federalism played a profoundly important role in the Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Windsor, which struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Arguments to the contrary have failed to appreciate how Justice Kennedy's opinion employed federalism not as a freestanding argument but as an essential component of his rights analysis. Far from being a "muddle," as many have claimed, Justice Kennedy's analysis offered one of the most sophisticated examples to date of the interconnections between federalism, liberty, and equality.
Citation
Ernest A. Young & Erin C. Blondel, Federalism, Liberty, and Equality in United States v. Windsor , 2012-2013 Cato Supreme Court Review 117-147
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Federal government, Equality before the law--United States, Anthony Kennedy, Gay marriage, Same-sex marriage
Included in
Courts Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Judges Commons, Other Legal Studies Commons
Available at: https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/faculty_scholarship/3134