A Question on the Same-Sex Marriage Licenses from SF

Given that DOMA defines “marriage” as between a man and a woman in terms of federal policy (including tax policy, social security, and so forth) and given that California law currently explicitly forbids same-sex marriage, then how are the marriage licenses being issued in San Francisco anything more than a novelty item?

Yes, court action in the future may change the value of the documents, but right now what do those pieces of paper actually mean?