Growing up my parents always expected me to be knowledgeable of current events.  We held regular discussions during family meals and it was a ritual to sit in front the television and watch the nightly news.  As a voracious reader I gravitated to any newspaper or magazine that came into our home. I would also listen in on my parent’s conversations with other adults. As a young child in Chicago living in the 1960’s I was initially shielded from the de-humanizing effects of segregation. I went to integrated schools and occasionally had white friends.

The recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and allowing lower court decisions to stand overturning Proposition 8 in California makes for a dramatic shift in American society.  This brief analysis is to consider some of the possible ramifications of the decision. While not a full legal analysis, it does have a lawyer's insight in areas potentially impacting Mormon practices past, present, and future.  The purpose of this post is not to advocate for gay marriage.