"#DOMA is Dead. Love is Alive." and More Reaction Following Supreme Court's Ruling Wednesday

In the Supreme Court's 5-4 opinion striking down parts of the Defense of Marriage Act, Justice Anthony Kennedy said the law denies equal treatment to gay and lesbian couples and "singles out a class of persons deemed by a State entitled of recognition and protection to enhance their own liberty." 

He said the law violates the Fifth Amendment by singling out a class of people who, otherwise, would be entitled to protections that the state had granted to couples who are lawfully married under the state's marriage laws.

Kennedy noted his opinion focused on states that recognize lawful marriages between same-sex couples — of which Missouri is not one.

The Missouri Constitution specifically bans gay marriage, noting that it is the "public policy of this state to recognize marriage only between a man and a woman" and that "any purported marriage not between a man and a woman is invalid."

Voters approved that provision in the constitution in 2004.