A federal appeals court has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA, for discriminating against same-sex couples. The unanimous decision found the federal government does not have the authority to deny benefits to same-sex couples in states such as Massachusetts, which has approved gay marriage. The ruling is expected to be appealed and ultimately end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. In a statement, the marriage equality group Freedom to Marry said: “[This] decision … is a powerful affirmation that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is an unconstitutional and unjust law whose days are numbered.”