1. a) What is the role of the Attorney General?
b) What is the role of the Justice Department (U.S. Department of Justice)?
c) What are the president's duties regarding United States laws?

2. a) What is DOMA?
b) What announcement did Attorney General Eric Holder make on Wednesday regarding DOMA?

3. Why has President Obama ordered his Justice Department to stop upholding the Defense of Marriage Act, after defending the law since he took office two years ago?

4. Based on the authority he has under the Constitution, should the President be able to refuse to uphold laws he deems unconstitutional? Explain your answer.

5. The Obama administration said it would not defend the constitutionality of a 1996 federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and woman, after two years making the opposite argument. The legal turnabout marks a contrast with the Justice Department's position in recent years that it generally is obligated to defend federal laws, even when the administration opposes them.
What do you think? Is the U.S. government obliged to uphold federal law?

6. After Eric Holder's announcement, many people are debating about the Defense of Marriage Act--if it is fair or right. That is not the issue. The issue is about the president's role/responsibility. Should he (and the Justice Department representing him) uphold all laws, regardless of his personal opinions about them? Does he have the right to only uphold laws that he thinks are constitutional?
As citizens, our duty is to obey the laws of the land, not just the ones with which we agree.
If a policeman believes that speeding laws are unconstitutional, should he refuse to pull over cars for speeding?