Democrats Fight DOMA In Court — But 60 Stay Home
One third of House Democrats broke with their leaders today and kept their names off a brief urging a federal appeals court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits federal recognition of marriages to those between one man and one woman.
The majority of Democrats joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's argument, which her office described in a news release as "the Democratic Members' brief," but the break among Democrats offers a glimpse at remaining divisions inside the party.
Pelosi, joined by Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and 130 other House Democrats, told the federal appeals court in California that they believe Karen Golinski should succeed in her lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of DOMA's federal definition of "marriage" and "spouse."
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Mid-Atlantic (9): Jason Altmire (PA), John C. Carney Jr. (DE), Mark Critz (PA), Elijah Cummings (MD), Tim Holden (PA), Bill Pascrell Jr. (NJ), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD), Allyson Schwartz (PA), Albio Sires (NJ)
Midwest (13): Leonard Boswell (IA), Russ Carnahan (MO), Jerry Costello (IL), John Dingell (MI), Joe Donnelly (IN), Marcy Kaptur (OH), Dale Kildee (MI), Ron Kind (WI), Daniel Lipinski (IL), David Loebsack (IA), Collin C. Peterson (MN), Betty Sutton (OH), Peter Visclosky (IN)
New England (3): James Langevin (RI), Stephen Lynch (MA), Michael Michaud (ME)
South (18): John Barrow (GA), Sanford Bishop (GA), Corrine Brown (FL), G.K. Butterfield (NC), Kathy Castor (FL), Ben Chandler (KY), Jim Cooper (TN), Larry Kissell (NC), Mike McIntyre (NC), Nick J. Rahall II (WV), Cedric Richmond (LA), Mike Ross (AR), David Scott (GA), Terri Sewell (AL), Heath Shuler (NC), Bennie G. Thompson (MS), Melvin Watt (NC), Frederica S. Wilson (FL)
Southwest (10): Dan Boren (OK), Henry Cuellar (TX), Al Green (TX), Gene Green (TX), Rubén Hinojosa (TX), Ben Ray Luján (NM), Jim Matheson (UT), Ed Perlmutter (CO), Silvestre Reyes (TX), Ron Barber (AZ)
West (7): Joe Baca (CA), Dennis Cardoza (CA), Jim Costa (CA), Peter DeFazio (OR), Norman Dicks (WA), Rick Larsen (WA), Kurt Schrader (OR)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/democrats-fight-doma-in-court-but-59-stay-home
Bastids.
