Appeals court rules DOMA unconstitutional

The First Circuit US. Court of Appeals has ruled that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconsitutional in one of the most closely watched gay-marriage cases in the nation.

The ruling had been delayed in part when the Obama administration reversed itself in the case last year. After first defending DOMA, the Justice Department then filed a revised brief dropping its defense.

The court decision Thursday in Boston found that the federal law forces states to discriminate against same-sex couples by not allowing them to grant federal benefits to...