The week at a glance...United States

Boston

DOMA denied: In one of the most closely watched gay-marriage cases in the nation, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, and that further review by the U.S. Supreme Court “is highly likely.” The appeals court found that DOMA forces states to discriminate against same-sex couples by denying them access to equal federal benefits, though they may be legally married under the states’ laws. Congress’s rationale for this discrimination “has not been adequately supported by any permissible federal interest,” the court wrote, in a decision limited to the conflict between federal and state powers. In another landmark gay-rights case, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals this week refused to hear an appeal of its decision to overturn a three-judge panel’s decision to nullify California’s Proposition 8, the voter-approved 2008 constitutional amendment that banned gay marriage. “We are vastly closer” to a ruling by the Supreme Court, said attorney Theodore Olson, who challenged Proposition 8 in federal court.

Albany, N.Y.

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Decriminalizing pot: In another step toward the legalization of marijuana, Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week proposed a bill that would decriminalize the public possession of small amounts of pot. In announcing his plan to standardize the “inconsistent” penalties for private and public possession, Cuomo enlisted the support of New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and local politicians. Cuomo’s bill would reduce penalties for possession to a fine. “This is an issue that disproportionately affects young people—they wind up with a permanent stain on their record for something that would otherwise be a violation,” Cuomo said. David Evans, an adviser to the Drug Free America Foundation, disagreed. “If [the bill] is going to lessen young people’s perception of the dangers of marijuana, we’re against it.”

New York City

Dolan denies charges: Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a leading figure in the Roman Catholic Church in America, this week furiously denied published reports that he had authorized secret payoffs to pedophile priests who agreed to quietly leave the church. Dolan, while serving as Milwaukee’s archbishop in 2003, offered to pay a number of accused pedophile priests up to $20,000 each if they agreed not to delay or fight their defrocking, according to documents cited by The New York Times. A New York Archdiocese spokesman did not dispute the payments, which were revealed by the advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, but Dolan characterized the transactions as “charity.” After Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the cardinal lashed out at his accusers: “The New York Times does not have a reputation for fair and accurate reporting when it comes to this issue,” Dolan said. As for the survivors’ group, Dolan added, “SNAP has no credibility whatsoever.”

Bellefonte, Pa.

Sandusky sex-abuse trial: With the jury selected for the child sexual abuse trial of former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, reports surfaced this week of “love letters” from Sandusky to one of his male accusers that would be read in court. The letters, of an “intimate” nature, were allegedly written to “Victim 4,” one of eight accusers set to testify against the 68-year-old. Victim 4, now 28, is also expected to testify about gifts that Sandusky allegedly gave him, including a set of golf clubs and football jerseys. The two are said to have met through Sandusky’s charity, the Second Mile. Ben Andreozzi, the attorney for Victim 4, would not talk about the letters, but said, “They have evidence to support his allegations, and there’s other evidence that has not been released to the public yet that I think will really resonate with the jury.” Sandusky has pleaded not guilty to 52 counts of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period.

Washington, D.C.

White House leaks probed: Facing pressure from prominent Republicans, the Senate Armed Services Committee said this week it would investigate national-security leaks in the wake of reports in The New York Times about a “kill list” for terrorists and the use of cyberweapons against Iran. A spokeswoman for Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the Democratic committee chairman, confirmed that there would be an investigation of “public reports of classified information”; this followed scathing criticism from Republican Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and John McCain of Arizona, who charged that the leaks were designed “to enhance President Obama’s image as a tough guy for the elections.” The Times articles highlighted the president’s personal involvement in top-secret decisions, including selecting targets for assassination at “Terror Tuesday” meetings.

Orlando

Zimmerman re-jailed: George Zimmerman reported back to jail this week after a judge revoked his bond, ruling that the 28-year-old former neighborhood watch volunteer hadn’t told the truth about his finances at an earlier bail hearing. After months of controversy, Zimmerman was charged in April with second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting death of unarmed African-American teenager Trayvon Martin. Claiming self-defense, Zimmerman pleaded not guilty. At the bail hearing, Zimmerman’s wife testified that the couple were indigent, when in fact they had raised $135,000 through Internet appeals for a legal defense fund. An angry Judge Kenneth Lester last week accused Zimmerman of having led him “down the primrose path” and ordered him back to jail. In seeking a new bond hearing, Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, acknowledged that Zimmerman had “allowed his financial situation to be misstated in court,” but said that he had otherwise “been forthright and cooperative.”