Thomson Reuters Checkpoint releases report on U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on DOMA

NEW YORK — Thomson Reuters has released an overview of the Supreme Court’s ruling that strikes down section three of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional. The report is designed to help tax advisers understand the far-reaching implications of the decision. DOMA had required same-sex spouses to be treated as unmarried for purposes…

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Bi-national same-sex couples to be treated the same as opposite-sex couples in immigration petitions

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling last week on DOMA, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has directed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to treat immigration visa petitions of bi-national same-sex spouses the same as those of an opposite-sex spouse. Napolitano’s statement follows: “After last week’s decision by the Supreme Court holding that Section 3…

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SCOTUS: quotes from the majority opinion on DOMA

“DOMA writes inequality into the entire United States Code.” “DOMA’s principal effect is to identify a subset of state sanctioned marriages and make them unequal. The principal purpose is to impose inequality, not for other reasons like governmental efficiency. Responsibilities, as well as rights, enhance the dignity and integrity of the person. “And DOMA contrives…

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Peace Corps announces new service opportunity for same-sex couples

WASHINGTON, D.C., – Peace Corps Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet today announced that the agency will begin accepting applications from same-sex domestic partners who want to serve together as volunteers overseas.  Same-sex couples may begin the application process starting Monday, June 3. “Service in the Peace Corps is a life-defining leadership experience for Americans who want to…

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Side Effects

dvd of the week Steven Soderbergh’s last studio film is basically a long, relatively well-acted Law & Order episode, complete with discussions of double jeopardy and a “shocking” but offensively retrograde ending. Emily (Rooney Mara) is married to Martin (Channing Tatum), who is being released from prison after serving five years for insider trading. As…

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