The Supreme Court heard arguments on two cases that could change U.S. laws on same-sex marriage. On March 26, the nine justices questioned the validity of California’s Proposition 8 that bans same-sex marriage in that state. The next day, the court heard arguments in a separate case over the federal Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Read and listen to the arguments from the two cases below.

Why are civil unions not enough for gay rights activists? The federal government accords 1,138 benefits and responsibilities based on marital status, not on civil union status. A few of those benefits are unpaid leave to care for an ill spouse, social security survivor benefits and spousal benefits, and the right not to testify against one’s spouse, among others.

If you ever wonder what some of those listings are, this PDF chart should give you some of the most popular ones. Here

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