Holder: Federal Benefits Now Available to Gay Couples in Seven New States

Attorney General Eric Holder announced Friday that the government will extend federal benefits to same-sex married couples in seven states where federal appeals courts have struck down bans on the unions.

Last week, the United States Supreme Court declined to review rulings from three federal appeals courts that had struck down bans on same-sex marriage in five states across the country. As a result of this, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Friday that the government will extend federal benefits to same-sex married couples in seven states where federal appeals courts have struck down bans on the unions.

The government will be recognizing same-sex marriages in seven new states with more likely to follow. This brings the total number of states where same-sex marriages are federally recognized to 26, plus the District of Columbia.

Holder pledged to extend all applicable federal benefits to same-sex married couples to the fullest extent allowed by federal law and said that if the Supreme Court decides to address the constitutionality of state bans on same-sex marriage, the Justice Department is prepared to file a brief consistent with its past support for marriage equality.

Watch Holder’s announcement in the video above.

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Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.