Senate Democrats and backers of gay marriage won a key victory Thursday in their quest to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, but it’s unclear where it will go next.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-8 along party lines in favor for the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would repeal the Clinton-era law that defined marriage between a man and a woman.

“Because of DOMA, thousands of American families are now being treated unfairly by the federal government,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). “This unfairness must end.”

Committee Republicans, noting that the bill faces bleak prospects for passing the full Congress, said the measure was a waste of time and the matter should be left up to the states. Six states – Iowa, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, as well as the District of Columbia – now recognize gay marriage.

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Lawmakers on Thursday put off a much-anticipated debate on a bill to repeal the law that forbids recognition of gay marriage at the federal level.

Iowa Sen. Charles E. Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked the committee to “hold over” the Respect for Marriage Act to allow for more study, as is the committee’s tradition for new bills.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, agreed to the delay, and suggested that the bill to repeal the 15-year-old Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) be brought up again Nov. 10.

Mr. Leahy and other Democrats used Thursday’s session to express their convictions that DOMA would soon be repealed. The law, which defines marriage in federal law as the union of one man and one woman and gives states the right not to recognize out-of-state gay unions, is the subject of numerous lawsuits as well as Democrat-led repeal efforts in Congress...

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) would not say what part of the Constitution grants Congress the power to force every American to buy health insurance--as all of the health care overhaul bills currently do.

Leahy, whose committee is responsible for vetting Supreme Court nominees, was asked by CNSNews.com where in the Constitution Congress is specifically granted the authority to require that every American purchase health insurance. Leahy answered by saying that “nobody questions” Congress’ authority for such an action.

CNSNews.com: "Where, in your opinion, does the Constitution give specific authority for Congress to give an individual mandate for health insurance?"...

The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee warned Monday that he would seek to slow Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan's path to confirmation unless senators get full access to her files as a Clinton administration aide.

"We're heading to what could be a train wreck," Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said. "I don't believe that this committee can go forward with an adequate hearing" without all records from Ms. Kagan's tenure as a White House counsel and then domestic policy adviser to President Clinton.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, the Judiciary Committee chairman, last week set hearings to begin on June 28. Mr. Sessions said Republicans would ask for a delay unless senators get access to the tens of thousands of pages of Clinton-era records by then...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman moved quickly Wednesday to advance Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan down a so-far smooth road to confirmation, setting hearings for June 28.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, said the schedule should allow the hearings to be completed before senators go home for a weeklong break in early July. In announcing it, Mr. Leahy was seizing the momentum building behind Miss Kagan's nomination just over a week after President Obama selected her to succeed retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

"I would urge everybody to come to the hearing with an open mind, listen to her answers to those questions, and we will make sure that every senator -- both sides of the aisle -- has ample time to ask the questions they want," Mr. Leahy said...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In an apparent attempt to send a message to President Barack Obama that they will not support a radical nominee for Supreme Court, Senate Republicans on Thursday delayed by a week a vote on the nomination of pro-abortion law professor for an appellate court position.

The committee approved four district court nominees yesterday, but Republicans used their rights as the minority to delay a vote on Liu until next week.

As a result, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a pro-abortion Vermont Democrat, scheduled a new vote meeting on Liu for May 13...

WASHINGTON – Moving ahead with one of his most consequential decisions, President Barack Obama has begun informal talks with potential nominees for the Supreme Court. And now he is reaching out to senators who ultimately will control the fight ahead to confirm his nominee.

Obama on Wednesday was to meet with the top Democrat and Republican in the Senate, along with leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as he launches a period of political protocol that comes with each high court nomination. The White House says the point is for Obama to get advice from the senators on how to proceed and even ideas of people to consider, but his goal is also to show bipartisanship, even if the debate to follow is almost sure to have a divided tone.

At the White House, Obama will gather with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Sen.

(CNSNews.com) – Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) would not say what part of the Constitution grants Congress the power to force every American to buy health insurance--as all of the health care overhaul bills currently do.

Leahy, whose committee is responsible for vetting Supreme Court nominees, was asked by CNSNews.com where in the Constitution Congress is specifically granted the authority to require that every American purchase health insurance. Leahy answered by saying that “nobody questions” Congress’ authority for such an action...

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's new standards for government openness have not trickled down to some agencies, where officials have used special statutes slipped into bills to skirt the Freedom of Information Act, open government advocates said Wednesday.

Efforts to strengthen the 42-year-old law "have been hampered by the increasing use of legislative exemptions that are often sneaked into legislation without debate or public scrutiny," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said.

News organizations and media groups said new legislation was needed to limit the information agencies may keep secret and for how long...