United States v. Windsor (2013) was a landmark Supreme Court case that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman for federal purposes. The case involved Edith Windsor, a woman who was legally married to her wife, Thea Spyer, in Canada. When Spyer passed away, Windsor was required to pay over $360,000 in federal estate taxes because the federal government did not recognize their marriage under DOMA. Windsor argued that DOMA’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages violated the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection and due process.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Windsor, declaring that DOMA’s provision denying federal recognition to same-sex marriages was unconstitutional. The majority opinion, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, held that DOMA’s refusal to recognize legally valid same-sex marriages for federal purposes harmed the dignity of these couples and violated the principles of equality. This decision was a major victory for the LGBTQ+ community, as it paved the way for greater recognition of same-sex marriages at the federal level and set a precedent for future rulings, including the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015).