Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA)

Definition: The Federal Marriage Act (FMA) is a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would create a federal definition of marriage as "the union of a man and a woman." Up until now, marriage has been defined by each state. The amendment would also limit judiciary power by overriding anti-discrimination guarantees. Language within the act can be used to overturn local domestic partnership benefits and other rights given to unmarried couples by individual states. This applies to homosexual and unmarried heterosexual couples.