In a landmark move, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up two cases that could either lead to the legalization of gay marriage nationwide or affirm the rights of legislators and voters to protect traditional marriage.
The court's action Dec. 7 means that sometime next year -- perhaps in March -- the court will hear oral arguments in the cases and hand down a decision by the end of June.
The justices will consider the constitutionality of two laws. One is the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as being between a man and a woman. The other is California Proposition 8, a voter-approved constitutional amendment which defines marriage as between one man and one woman....
