Defending Civil Rights

As Attorney General, Martha has been a steadfast defender of civil rights, assuring that people live free from discrimination based on race, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.

Among her actions are:

• Filing a first-in-the-nation lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In July, exactly one year to the day that she filed the suit, a federal judge ruled in favor of this effort and struck down DOMA. In her challenge, Martha argued that the law excluded Massachusetts married same-sex couples and their families from critically important rights and protections such as allowing veterans to be buried with a loved one or basic health care services afforded to other married couples.
  
• Working to improve access for people with disabilities. She reached an agreement with Apple, Inc., that ensures blind users full access to be able to review and purchase music. She also reached an agreement with the three largest movie theater chains to ensure greater accessibility to movie theaters for the hearing and visually impaired.
  
• Successfully defending a federal court challenge to the constitutionality of the new buffer zone around reproductive health care facilities that ensures the safety of patients and staff members.
  
• More aggressively bringing civil rights injunctions to protect victims of hate crimes. Martha’s office has secured 41 injunctions, three times more than her predecessor. Among those she secured these actions against include a white supremacist who threatened to kill a Jewish man and a Springfield couple who shouted racist epithets against three school-aged African-american children.