Class Action Lawsuit Challenges DOMA in Family Immigration Cases

Arenas, et al. v. Napolitano, et al., Case No. SACV12-1137-JVS(MLGx) (United States District Court for the Central District of California)

"The 25-year old son of an immigrant from the Philippines, with his mother and her U.S. citizen spouse, today filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as applied to deny immigration family benefits. The DOMA was enacted and signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. For all federal benefits based on marriage, including immigration benefits, DOMA restricts the definition of marriage to unions between “one man and one woman.”" - CHRCL, July 12, 2012.

News coverage by Reuters, Associated Press.