Three core values are frequently described when it comes to what all Americans hold dear: democracy, liberty and equality. Equality, in particular, is a value and a right which Americans have fought other nations and each other to preserve and develop. Till the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was passed, equivalent protection of the law was not part of our Constitution. This critical amendment was the legal vehicle which enabled our nation to prohibit discrimination based on race and sex and to as well support and affirm the requirement for diversity. Nonetheless, the struggle for equivalent protection and due process continues and other amendments to the Constitution, which comprise the Fifth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments, have become included in this effort. One of the most debated legal decisions comprising equivalent protection thus far has been the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996. In a 2013 Supreme Court decision, Section 3 of the Act was found to be unconstitutional. Did the Supreme Court justices rightfully interpret the equivalent protection clause from the Fifth and/or Fourteenth Amendments in this case? Recognize and use constitutional precedents and case law to support your argument.