The Defense of Marriage Act ruled unconstitutional

An 83-year-old widow fights to change the definition of marriage in an appeals court in New York on Thursday, according to the New Yorker.

Edith Windsor was romantically involved with her partner Thea Spyer, whom she later married, according to the New Yorker. After Spyer's death, WIndsor was order to pay over $300,000 in federal taxes because the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, did not recognize their marriage.

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan found it unconstitutional that parts of the DOMA prohibited federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages in states where they were legal, like New York, according to the New Yorker.

The Windsor v. United States case will go tot the Supreme Court later this year, according to the New Yorker.