The largest bankruptcy court in the country has declared the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act a violation of the Constitution's equal protection guarantee.

The decision signed by 20 judges of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California is the first bankruptcy court to address the constitutionality of the law passed by Congress 15 years ago which prohibits federal government recognition of same-sex marriage. The decision came in a case in which a legally married gay couple was seeking to jointly file for bankruptcy.