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    Public Divided over Same-Sex Marriage Rulings

    Overview The public is divided over last week’s Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage: 45% approve of the court’s decisions, while 40% disapprove. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center conducted June 27-30 among 1,003 adults, finds that most Americans are aware of the ruling and its implications. Two-thirds (66%) know that the […]

  • short reads

    5 facts about the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012-2013

    Note: For more recent facts on the high court, see this post from 2020. Phew, what a week for the U.S. Supreme Court. With major rulings on affirmative action, voting rights and same-sex marriage released this week, we rounded up  five facts about the court and its year of contentious cases and historic votes: Favorable […]

  • short reads

    Chart of the Week: Supreme Court justices — who agrees with whom?

    It’s one thing to talk about voting blocs on the Supreme Court — four conservative justices, four moderate-to-liberal ones and Anthony Kennedy in between, swinging back and forth like a pendulum. It’s another to see the actual voting patterns at work.

  • short reads

    Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage will likely impact immigration, too

    There is an immigration angle to the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act: Some gay and lesbian Americans will now be able to obtain visas for their foreign-born same-sex spouses. That is because the court’s ruling states that federal law cannot make a distinction between opposite-sex married couples and […]

  • short reads

    How many same-sex marriages in the U.S.? At least 71,165, probably more

    Today, the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act’s key section, which prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriages and denied same-sex couples who were married under state law a panoply of federal benefits — from favorable tax treatment to the ability to be buried together in veterans’ cemeteries — that are available to […]

  • short reads

    Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling comes as majority now supports same-sex marriage

    Email Sign Up Receive our weekly newsletter featuring new analysis on politics, social trends, religion, the media and more. Sign Up Now The Supreme Court today struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), saying in a 5-4 ruling that the federal government can’t disparage marriages recognized by the states. The Court also declined […]

  • report

    Final Court Rulings: Public Equally Interested in Voting Rights, Gay Marriage

    Overview A new poll finds that the public is as interested in the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on the Voting Rights Act as in its long-awaited decisions on same-sex marriage. Roughly a third of Americans (35% each) say they are very interested in both how the court will rule on whether parts of the Voting […]

  • short reads

    Ahead of same-sex marriage decisions, what you need to know

    The Supreme Court is expected to rule imminently on two laws seeking to block same-sex marriage — the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. Here’s a summary of major findings related to the issue.

  • short reads

    Chief Justice John the Obscure

    The Supreme Court will soon wrap up its current term with major decisions expected on gay marriage, affirmative action, voting rights and other issues. No one knows how the court will rule, but here’s a safe prediction: After the term, Chief Justice John Roberts will remain one of the most powerful – yet least visible […]