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The Watchdog group CREW has filed an Amicus brief with the Supreme Court in the DOMA case asking for DOMA to be struck down. They have an intriguing argument namely that gay members of Congress can under DOMA do things that are unlawful for straight members.
If a straight member of Congress hired his or her spouse, it would be illegal against various anti-nepotism statutes. Also, a straight member has to disclose financial information about his or her spouse so that conflicts of interest can be checked by the ethics committees and public interest groups.
But because DOMA says same sex couples cannot be married, none of the Federal laws that clamp down on conflict of interest for married couples apply to same-sex married Congress people.
http://www.citizensforethics.org/le...eme-court-arguing-doma-undermines-ethics-laws
Ah, savor the aroma of unintended consequences.
If a straight member of Congress hired his or her spouse, it would be illegal against various anti-nepotism statutes. Also, a straight member has to disclose financial information about his or her spouse so that conflicts of interest can be checked by the ethics committees and public interest groups.
But because DOMA says same sex couples cannot be married, none of the Federal laws that clamp down on conflict of interest for married couples apply to same-sex married Congress people.
http://www.citizensforethics.org/le...eme-court-arguing-doma-undermines-ethics-laws
Ah, savor the aroma of unintended consequences.
