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Hawaii lower house shelves vote on same-sex civil unions

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Hawaii House of Representatives on Friday postponed indefinitely a vote on legislation that would have allowed persons in same-sex civil unions the same rights as married heterosexual couples. The postponement was decided by voice vote; only a two-thirds majority in the Hawaii House would allow further action on the bill. In the weeks leading to the vote, the Hawaii Family Forum and the Hawaii Catholic Conference had rallied in a campaign against the civil union bill. Gay rights organization Equality Hawai'i characterized the voice vote result as a "cowardly move" motivated by "election considerations," and decried the use of the procedure, which avoids having to record the specific vote of each legislator. The Hawaii Senate had voted 18-7 only last week in favor of legislation allowing same-sex civil unions. The state of Hawaii has been at the forefront of the gay rights movement since the 1990s. In 1993, a Hawaii Supreme Court decision ruled that the state must show compelling reason to deny same-sex marriage. In 1998, Hawaiian voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to reserve for the State Legislature the authority to define marriage. Same-sex marriage is currently legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and is set to become legal in Washington DC, pending Congressional inaction. New Jersey has recognized same-sex civil unions since 2006.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 30, 2010 (boomark / email).