"What has been explained to this point should more than suffice to establish that the principle purpose and the necessary effect of this law are to demean those persons who are in a lawful same-sex marriage. This requires the Court to hold, as it now does, that DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the liberty of the person protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution"

As a first year law student, it didn't take long for me to become jaded by our entire legal process. It seems to move in painfully minute increments and  at times, tradition and societal "norms" dictate outcomes that no longer adequately represent the people.

This week, however, the law stood up and took a stand through both Justice Ginsberg's dissent in Monday's Affirmative Action opinion and today's DOMA decision written by Justice Kennedy. My eyes stung with tears as I read some of their words--to have our Court acknowledge the injustice faced by so many of our citizens today in such a poignant way was simply inspiring.

On top of that, Senator Wendy Davis' 11-hour filibuster in Texas yesterday was one of the most amazing things I've seen from a politician. The footage of her in her pink sneakers, making a bold decision to fiercely represent the women of her state while being supported by the public re-affirmed some of my faith in our political process. Even if Rick Perry decides to hold a special session, its nice to know that he was challenged in the most public way possible.

Ultimately, the last three days are a reminder that women's rights and LGBTQ rights are human rights. They concern us all. Our decisions on these matters shape the kind of society we live in, they shape the kind of future our children will come into, and they affect the daily lives of our friends and family. I think its shameful to see so much resistance to decisions like these -- don't we all want to live in a world where we can freely decide what happens to our bodies, where we can love whomever we want, where we don't accept the idea of second class citizens? 

I'm proud of all the women who made the right choices this week, even if they were not the most popular choices. I'm proud of our Court for acting where our Legislature has failed us repeatedly. And I'm proud to be surrounded by so many passionate and inspired people who show an interest and a concern over these matters. These aren't incremental steps--these are leaps and bounds. Here's hoping for many more actions and decisions like these.