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practice.
• The nation's high court ruled Wednesday that same-sex couples should get the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples, invalidating provisions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The justices also cleared the way for the resumption of same-sex marriages in California, the most populous U.S. state.
• "Today's ruling is a historic victory for gay and lesbian Americans and a tremendous step forward for the cause of equality," said Jana Kooren, ACLU of South Dakota's acting executive director. "But striking down DOMA does not change our state marriage laws."
• Gay marriage has been banned in South Dakota since the Legislature passed a law in 1996, and the prohibition was reiterated in the state constitution by voters in 2006.
• "I guess I support that," South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I voted for it along with a majority of South Dakotans."
• The governor said he thinks marriage as an institution has a stabilizing effect on the raising of children.
• "It doesn't mean the state is homophobic," Daugaard said. "It just extends some additional benefits to a married couple to help them provide a home for children."
• Attorney General Marty Jackley said South Dakota's definition of marriage, which is limited to a man and a woman, remains valid.
• "After today's U.S Supreme Court decisions, South Dakota constitution and legislative enactments defining marriage to be between a man and a woman remain in effect as a matter of law," Jackley said in a statement.
• Lawrence Novotny, board president of Equality South Dakota, said he's happy that people in legal same-sex marriages will now be treated equally by the federal government.
• "This decision puts that equality back in place for everybody," Novotny said.
• He said the decision is not going to change anything in South Dakota, but the opinion is a good sign that the court may eventually move toward declaring state laws that ban same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
• "Work will still have to be done to get that removed," Novotny said. "That's down the road a ways, unfortunately."
• Same-sex marriage has been adopted by 12 states and the District of Columbia. An additional 18,000 couples were married in California during a brief period when same-sex unions were legal there.
• In the DOMA case, the Supreme Court invalidated provisions of the act that have prevented gay couples from receiving a range of tax, health and retirement benefits

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