( San Francisco, CA, January 17, 2012 ) -- The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California today released the transcript of the oral argument in the case brought by Lambda Legal and Morrison & Foerster challenging the constitutionality of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) on behalf of Karen Golinski, a federal court employee denied spousal health coverage for her wife.
The transcript is available on the Lambda Legal website, at:
http://lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/golinski_us_20111216_transcript-of-proceedings
The December 16, 2011 oral argument was one of the first DOMA-related hearings since U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Department of Justice had determined that DOMA was unconstitutional and would no longer defend it. Assistant Attorney General Tony West, head of DOJ's civil division, appeared at the hearing to argue that DOMA's federal definition of marriage unconstitutionally limited Karen Golinski's ability to secure health insurance for her wife.
The case is Golinski v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
