family law
NY Marriages Begin
Sun, 2011-07-31 23:00 — Stephen J. HylandOn July 24, 2011, those who were inclined to marry were able to do so in New York. My husband, Richard, and I have been eagerly reading the New York Time's Weddings and Celebrations section, which has had tremendous coverage of same-sex marriages held in the State of New York. Read more »
Lambda Legal Files Supreme Court Case in Louisiana Birth Certificate Case
Sun, 2011-07-10 23:00 — AnonymousNEW ORLEANS — Lambda Legal filed a petition for a writ of certiorari asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case of a same-sex couple seeking an accurate birth certificate for their Louisiana-born son whom they adopted in New York. The state of Louisiana has refused to recognize the adoption and issue a birth certificate listing both fathers as the boy's parents. Read more »
Rhode Island Governor Signs Civil Union Law
Fri, 2011-07-01 23:00 — AnonymousPROVIDENCE—In a small ceremony in his office Saturday morning, Governor Chafee signed into law legislation legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples. Read more »
New Jersey Marriage Equality Suit Filed
Wed, 2011-06-29 09:22 — AnonymousTRENTON—Seven gay and lesbian New Jersey couples, along with many of their children, are going to court to try to force the state to recognize gay marriage. Read more »
Rhode Island Senate Passes Civil Union Bill
Tue, 2011-06-28 23:00 — AnonymousPROVIDENCE, R.I.—The Rhode Island Senate voted 21 to 16 Wednesday to pass a bill that legalizes civil unions, adding Rhode Island to a short but growing list of states that provide marriage-like rights to same-sex couples. Read more »
NY Passes Marriage Equality Law
Thu, 2011-06-23 23:00 — AnonymousALBANY—New York lawmakers narrowly voted to legalize same-sex marriage Friday, handing activists a breakthrough victory in the state where the gay rights movement was born.
New York will become the sixth state where gay couples can wed and the biggest by far.
Gay rights advocates are hoping the vote will galvanize the movement around the country and help it regain momentum after an almost identical bill was defeated here in 2009 and similar measures failed in 2010 in New Jersey and this year in Maryland and Rhode Island. Read more »
Illinois Starts Granting Civil Unions
Thu, 2011-06-02 00:00 — AnonymousSPRINGFIELD—Add the Land of Lincoln to the list of states providing civil unions. Illinois' new civil union law went into effect on June 1, allowing both same-gender and opposite-gender couples to form a civil union, providing them with rights, benefits and obligations similar to those granted to married couples under Illinois law. Read more »
Delaware Approves Civil Union Bill
Thu, 2011-04-14 23:00 — AnonymousDOVER—Delaware's House of Representatives voted 26-15 Thursday night to grant legal status to same-sex civil unions, giving those couples the same rights, protections and obligations now granted only to married couples.
The vote followed three hours of debate that covered a wide range of concerns – some fiscal, some related to family relations, some related to equal access to civil unions for opposite-sex couples. Read more »
Senators Introduce "Respect for Marriage Act" to Repeal DOMA
Wed, 2011-03-16 23:00 — AnonymousCalifornia Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation today to repeal a law that denies federal benefits to same-sex couples. Read more »
MD Marriage Equality Bill Withdrawn
Sat, 2011-03-12 00:00 — AnonymousANNAPOLIS— The speaker of Maryland’s House vowed that Democrats would try again next year to pass legislation legalizing gay marriage, but the intense lobbying by faith groups against the measure in recent weeks shows that it won’t be easy, even in a state known for its liberal politics.
A loose coalition of Democratic legislators failed to cobble together enough votes to overcome opposition from Republicans and religious groups, including the Catholic church and many black congregations, to make Maryland the sixth state to legalize gay marriage. Read more »
