Survey: 7 out of 10 Con Law Profs Think DOMA Is Unconstitutional
Author: Joe Palazzolo
Publication: The Wall Street Journal
Publication Date: September 7, 2012
Dale Carpenter, a professor at University of Minnesota Law School, asked constitutional law professors whether they support same-sex marriage and whether they believe the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, is constitutional.
The findings of his survey, as posted by Professor Carpenter at Volokh Conspiracy:
Eighty-seven percent of constitutional law professors back marriage for same-sex couples, and 7 out of 10 believe the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, but only a slight majority of 54% think the federal Constitution requires states to recognize same-sex marriages.
Depending on the poll, about 50% of Americans support same-sex marriage. Professor Carpenter sent the survey to 1,579 teachers listed as Constitutional Law professors in the 2011-12 directory of the Association of American Law Schools. He got responses from 485, or about 31%.
Read the story at The Wall Street Journal.