NYT: Move to Dismiss Gay Union Case

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/13/us/politics/13brfs-MOVETODISMIS_BRF.html?ref=us

By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: June 12, 2009

The Justice Department has moved to dismiss a same-sex marriage case in the federal courts that challenges the Defense of Marriage Act. The motion to dismiss Smelt v. United States, a suit brought in California, angered groups favoring such marriages. A coalition of advocacy groups issued a statement decrying the move, saying that “the administration is using many of the same flawed legal arguments that the Bush administration used.” A Justice Department spokesman said the administration was following a customary practice of “defending the law on the books in court.”