DOJ appeals bankruptcy ruling striking down federal same-sex marriage ban

[JURIST] The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] filed an appeal in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] on Monday contesting a bankruptcy court ruling [opinion, PDF; JURIST report] that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) [text; JURIST news archive] is unconstitutional. DOMA is a federal law barring same-sex marriage [JURIST news archive], even if it is legalized in a state. The DOJ previously declared [JURIST report] that it would no longer defend the…