How The Supreme Court’s DOMA Ruling Reflects Public Opinion

Everybody Must Get Stonewalled

One case was decided on technical grounds, and the justices stopped short of calling same-sex marriage a constitutional right, but today’s Supreme Court decisions mark a huge step forward for equality. California will become the 13th state to legalize gay marriage (again), and the Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act — a federal law that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote: “By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment.”

+ From WaPo: The Court stuck down DOMA. Here’s what you need to know.

+ Today’s court rulings seem to follow public opinion trends. The most recent polls suggest about 58% of Americans want to legalize gay marriage. That marks a huge swing over the last few decades. Consider that in 1977, 43% of those polled believed that homosexual relations between consenting adults should be illegal. From The Week: A Timeline of America’s gay-marriage evolution.

+ If you type the word “gay” into Google, your search box turns rainbow. That support shouldn’t surprise anyone. Silicon Valley’s big tech companies made their decision on rights for gay couples long before the Supreme Court.

Mostly We Move Forward

“There’s a whole world of justice. And so, I’m not skeptical, like a lot of gay people of my generation. I trust the Constitution. Sometimes there’s a mistake, but mostly we move forward. I think we’re going to win just because I think justice will prevail. Is that crazy?” After spending 38 years with her partner Thea Spyer, Edith Windsor married her in Canada in 2007. Today, she won a very big court case. Here’s an excellent profile of Edith Windsor from Buzzfeed’s Chris Gedner: Meet the Hero of the Marriage Equality Movement.

+ When Windsor learned of the Court’s decision, her first reaction was to say: “I wanna go to Stonewall right now!”

And Poof, You’re Gone

You never knew. That was his power. The greatest trick [he] ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. And like that, poof. He’s gone.

— The Usual Suspects

Edward Snowden’s much-watched globetrotting made some folks at NatGeo wonder: “Would it be possible for someone without his connections — in our increasingly connected age — to travel undetected?” Well, if you’re really determined, it pays to get some advice from Frank Ahearn, author of How to Disappear: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, and Vanish without a Trace. I’m pretty sure most people could get away undetected. The hard part would be resisting the urge to update their Facebook status or Tweet about it.

+ “I wish I’d written it.” Here’s an interesting look at Snowden, through the eyes of a spy novelist.

+ In the Internet age, what you say (or said) can be used against you. From Ars Technica: In 2009, Ed Snowden said leakers “should be shot.”

A Measured Response

“I’ve been on the phone four times, for an average of 24 minutes a call. my last phone call was 22 minutes 23 seconds long … My average mile when I ran 5K yesterday was 8 minutes and 45 seconds … I am exactly 45 percent through my friend’s excellent nonfiction book … My optimal sleep time is seven hours and 20 minutes and I wake up twice a night.” Welcome to the age of self-quantification. New technologies are making it easier for us to measure every detail from our waking — and sleeping — lives. Newsweek’s Alissa Quart wonders whether all that tracking is good for our health.

Filibust a Move

Wendy Davis was not allowed to lean on a desk or chair, get any help or support from anyone (even when it came to putting on a back brace), or speak on any subjects that were even slightly off topic. In the end, her eleven hour filibuster to block a Texas bill that could dramatically change abortion laws in the state was halted on a technicality. And that’s when things in the Texas Legislature got really interesting.

+ Here are five pretty amazing moments from a wild night in Austin.

+ WaPo: Who is Wendy Davis?

You Listen to This Man

“From the beginning, all I’ve ever cared about is things being great. I never cared about when they were done. Because I also feel like I want the music to last forever. And once you release it, you can’t go back and fix it, so you really have to get it right. And that takes time.” A chat with Rick Rubin. You may not know the name, but you definitely know the music (and you’ll probably never forget the beard).

+ From Grantland, here’s look at music and the heartland and the 80s and now: Huey Lewis’s Old, Weird America.

Lonely, Together

“Perhaps I am writing this for any of you out there who are lonely too. There’s not much we can do about it. I am luckier than many of you because I am lonely in a crowd of people who are mostly very nice to me and appear to be pleased to meet me. But I want you to know that you are not alone in your being alone.” Stephan Fry on his suicide attempt and being lonely.

Down and Out

A former (as of today) New England Patriots tight end has been arrested and charged with murder. And so we’ll continue our always weird discussion when it comes to athletes and crime. From The New Yorker’s Ian Crouch: Judging Aaron Hernandez.

Animals in The News

InFocus has a collection of animals in the news. A lot of the photos are pretty cute. In the other ones, humans got involved.

The Bottom of the News

When every media outlet is waiting for the same piece of news, it pays to hustle. Check out this Vine of an intern racing to deliver the Court’s decision to his boss.

+ And he wasn’t alone. Here’s a look at the 2013 Running of the Interns.

+ Having trouble climbing the social ladder? You must have been on formula as a baby.