Three Village Reacts: Assemblyman Lauds Supreme Court for Ditching DOMA

With the announcement on Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Defense of Marriage act unconstitutional, locals across Northern Suffolk County have flocked to Twitter share reactions on the landmark ruling.

The 5-4 decision will mean the federal government must recognize gay marriages in the 12 states in the U.S. that have legalized these unions, including in New York.

New York State Assemb. Steve Englebright, D-Setauket, said the Supreme Court's ruling "reinforces the importance of what we did in New York on the same issue."

"It’s all connected, and what we do here in New York really matters both directly for same sex couples in New York, but in a larger sense it has helped set the stage for today’s decision that affects the entire nation," Englebright said. "It’s a very good thing that we did. It’s a very good thing that the Supreme Court did today."

David Kilmnick, chief executive officer of the Long Island Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Services Network, said on Wednesday that the ruling is "nothing short of miraculous."

“This law was just so clearly discriminatory and clearly so unconstitutional that I could not see any other way the court would rule,” he said. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo was quick to praise the decision as well. 

"Two years ago, New York became the largest state to enact marriage equality, and since then we have seen a growing recognition across the country that all citizens deserve equal rights under the law, regardless of sexual orientation," he said in a statement.

"It is my hope that today’s breakthrough decisions will propel our nation forward and finally allow all Americans to be granted the same rights and protections under the law."

U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop also showed his support.

"Today’s ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional is another important step in the struggle to eradicate discrimination from federal law. It is also a victory for the families who will now be able to access the benefits and rights accorded to married partners by the federal government if they are legally married in a state. America is a more just and more pro-family nation as a result of this decision," he said in a statement.

See the livestream above. And if you are in the area, tweet with the #DOMA hashtag to be added to the stream.