Wednesday in politics: Supreme Court hears DOMA case, and more

Phil Pruitt

The Supreme Court justices will hear arguments Wednesday in a challenge to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, even though they're allowed in nine states and the District of Columbia.

The DOMA case is dogged by procedural issues, Yahoo! News reporter Liz Goodwin explains, and it's possible the justices may throw it out without issuing a decision.

On Tuesday, the justices heard arguments in a case focused on California’s Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage. There, too, there are significant procedural questions.

Also worth noting on Wednesday:

  • President Barack Obama will be interviewed by Univision and Telemundo;

  • Sens. John McCain, Chuck Schumer, Jeff Flake and Michael Bennet will tour the Arizona-Mexico border;

  • Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis will join local officials to celebrate the newly-designated Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument on Maryland's Eastern Shore;

  • Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum will campaign for Curtis Bostic in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

And then there is this: Wednesday is the second anniversary of NATO taking control of all military operations in Libya.

Sources: Yahoo News’ The Ticket, Yahoo News reporter Liz Goodwin, ABC News, Associated Press and Reuters.