Justice details new rules for equal treament of married same-sex couples

The Justice Department issued a new policy memorandum that formally instructed all department employees to give lawful same-sex marriages equal recognition — a first in the history of the nation’s judicial system.

“It is the Department’s policy, to the extent federal law permits, to recognize lawful same-sex marriages as broadly as possible, and to recognize all marriages valid in the jurisdiction where the marriage was celebrated,” regardless of where the married individuals reside, the memo said.

On Saturday, Attorney General Eric Holder told an audience of reporters, celebrities and activists at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel that his department would not be a “bystander” to ensuring equal rights for the LGBT-community.

“Just like during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the stakes involved in this generation’s struggle for LGBT equality couldn’t be higher,” Holder’s said in his speech. “As Attorney General, I will not let this Department be simply a bystander during this important moment in history,” drawing applause from the audience.

The memo continued the Obama administration’s recent push to put its stamp on the national struggle to achieve marriage equality.

Monday’s action discussed new guidelines for benefit and compensation programs such as the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program, the September 11^th Victim Compensation Fund, and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program that “will recognize same-sex marriages valid in the place where they were celebrated, regardless of where the married individuals reside, to the extent consistent with law.”

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