Q. I am a House staffer in a same-sex
marriage, and I have a question about the effect of the Supreme
Court's decision regarding the Defense of Marriage Act upon
House ethics rules. For example, the law firm my spouse works for
hosts an annual retreat where attorneys' spouses are invited to
attend as well. But, as I understand the gift rules, it might
violate the rules if I allowed the law firm to pay for my expenses
to attend the event. While the rules allow staffers to have their
expenses paid for at spouses' events such as these, I have
generally not qualified as a "spouse." Does the DOMA
ruling change things with respect to House ethics rules like this
one?
A. Yes! The Supreme Court's ruling on the
Defense of Marriage Act could certainly have implications under
House ethics rules. The word "spouse" appears almost 150
times in the House Ethics Manual, and the Supreme Court's
decision could come into play almost every time it is mentioned,
particularly for members
