Supreme Court Bolsters Gay Marriage With Two Major Rulings  —  WASHINGTON — In a pair of major victories for the gay rights movement, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that married same-sex couples were entitled to federal benefits and, by declining to decide a case from California, effectively allowed same-sex marriages there.

Minutes After Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA, Immigration Judge Stops Deportation Of Married Gay Man  —  A New York City immigration judge immediately stopped the deportation proceedings of a gay Colombian man who is legally married to an American citizen soon after the Supreme Court struck …

The Five Craziest Reactions To The Marriage Equality Rulings  —  It was actually sunny in Washington today.  (Credit: National Organization for Marriage)  —  Though the strong majorities of Americans who support marriage equality and equal federal benefits for gay couples celebrated today's …

Antonin Scalia Is Angry.  Again.  —  Ten years ago, when the Supreme Court ruled that laws outlawing sodomy between consenting adults were unconstitutional in the case of Lawrence v. Texas, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a blistering dissent.  “What a massive disruption of the current social order,” he practically wailed from the page.

Antonin Scalia's Gay Marriage Dissent Is Dripping With Contempt And Sarcasm  —  Today the Supreme Court threw out Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages even if they are allowed under state law.

Frank Rich on the National Circus: Gay Marriage Triumphs, Roberts Be Damned  —  Every week, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich talks with contributor Eric Benson about the biggest stories in politics and culture.  This week: SCOTUS defeats DOMA, the Voting Rights Act suffers a mortal wound …

The Long Road to Marriage Equality  —  NEW HAVEN — THE Supreme Court's soaring decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional is a civil rights landmark, but the history leading up to it is poorly understood.  Marriage equality was neither inevitable nor, until recently, even conceivable.

In Texas, a Senator's Stand Catches the Spotlight  —  AUSTIN, Tex. — A Fort Worth Democrat, Senator Wendy Davis, 50, stood in her running shoes on the green carpeted floor of the Senate chamber and spoke about a bill with some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the country from 11:18 …

Texas abortion bill fails to pass after epic filibuster  —  A bill that opponents claimed would virtually ban abortion in Texas failed to pass late Tuesday after lawmakers missed a deadline by just minutes.  —  There were chaotic scenes after a filibuster attempt fell just short and protesters cheered …

Led by Davis, Democrats Defeat Abortion Legislation … The nation watched on Tuesday — and into Wednesday — as Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis and hundreds of impassioned reproductive rights advocates stalled proceedings and ultimately defeated controversial abortion legislation in a storm …

Name Mix-Up Helped Snowden Leave Hong Kong … The U.S. Justice Department needs to pay more attention to names and numbers when requesting other governments to detain its citizens, Hong Kong officials say.  —  By now, the world is very familiar with the name Edward Snowden …