The Respect for Marriage Act repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA barred the federal government from respecting the marriages of same-sex couples who were married under state law, which excluded them from federal recognition, such as with Social Security benefits, tax benefits, and more. DOMA established that the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution does not require states to respect the marriages of same-sex couples performed by other states. RFMA repealed that part of DOMA as well, and replaced it with the assertion that the clause requires interstate recognition. The Supreme Court case United States v Windsor (2013) struck down this section of DOMA, but after Dobbs’ overturning of Roe, some worry that Windsor will be overturned.
