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In Light of DOMA Ruling, Glenn Greenwald May Move Back to the United States

Gay rights activists gather outside the Supreme Court building on June 26, 2013. Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has been living with his partner in Brazil, might come back to the US of A—depending, of course, on how “that other small matter” plays out.

Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images

Glenn Greenwald has been living in Brazil (where he has a permanent visa*) for the past eight years with his partner, David Michael Miranda. Now that the Defense of Marriage Act has been struck down, Greenwald says they’re considering moving back to the United States.

Here’s how he described his reason for moving in an interview with Out Magazine in 2011:

Brazil recognizes our relationship for immigration purposes, while the government of my supposedly “free,” liberty-loving country enacted a law explicitly barring such recognition.

Does Wednesday’s ruling mean Greenwald will move back? Here’s what he said in an email to Slate senior editor Emily Bazelon today:

It’s certainly something we’ll consider. It’s a huge choice with many complicated factors, and it’s not the kind of thing you seriously evaluate when the option isn’t available to you. We haven’t made up our minds in the 90 minutes or so since the decision was announced!

We’ve lived here together for 8 years and built a life. My partner is finishing school. All of his family is here. So it’s something that will take time to resolve. But it’s definitely something that we both have a desire at some point to do, and will now spend the time figuring out how and when we can do it.

While the original reason Greenwald left the country has been nullified, Greenwald hinted earlier today at another potential legal obstacle that could confound his return to the States:

Correction, June 26, 2013: This post originally said Glenn Greenwald has citizenship in Brazil. He has a permanent visa to live in Brazil.

Read more from Slate’s coverage of gay marriage cases at the Supreme Court.