Are there any federal laws regarding marriage?

Yes, there are federal laws related to marriage in the United States. According to the U.S. Supreme Court, marriage is a fundamental right that all individuals have the right to pursue. In California, the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996 stated that marriage should be understood as a union between a man and a woman, and it denied federal recognition of same-sex marriage. DOMA was challenged in 2013, and the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 further established the right to marriage equality. This ruling ensures that people of any gender orientation have the right to legally marry anywhere in the United States. In addition to federal law, some states have adopted their own statutory prohibitions against same-sex marriage, though those laws have largely been overturned. Marriage law in California is also governed by its State Constitution, which states that marriage is a fundamental right. California has also adopted the Uniform Parentage Act, which extends the same rights and protections to any adults who are raising children, regardless of their marital or partnership status.

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