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NJ Domestic Partnership

Legal information on the New Jersey Domestic Partnership Act and on legal issues affecting same-sex couples in the New Jersey area.

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Last Entry: March 24, 2009 at 11:30:18

Vermont Marriage Bill Advances

Posted on March 24, 2009
The Vermont Senate passed legislation Monday that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. The bill passed 26-4. It now moves to the House where supporters believe it is likely to be approved. But whether Vermont Gov. James Douglas (R) will sign it is unknown...

DOMA Challenge Filed in MA

Posted on March 03, 2009
(March 3, 2009) The first concerted, multi-plaintiff legal challenge to Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was filed today by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). Gill et al. v. Office of Personnel Management et al...

HI Civil Union Bill Stuck in Committee

Posted on February 25, 2009
HONOLULU—The Hawaiian Civil Union Bill, which was recently passed in the House, remains stuck in the Judiciary Committe. After 15 hours of testimony, the Committee tied on a 3-3 vote to move the bill to the Senate. Senate leaders are now considering a full Senate vote to pull the bill from the Committee...

HI Senate Committee Considers Civil Unions

Posted on February 24, 2009
HONOLULU&Mdash;With a little manuevering, HB 444, the Hawaiian Civil Union Bill may make it to a vote before the full Senate. The bill previously passed in the House last week. The prospects for the bill remain uncertain. The Senate Judiciary Committee had scheduled hearings on the bill for today, however, the Committee is deadlocked 3-3 and the bill may not make it out of Committee...

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MI Court Must Hear Lesbian Custody Case

Posted on February 20, 2009
DETROIT—The Michigan State Court of Appeals today held that a Michigan family court cannot refuse to hear a child custody case simply because it involves children whose parents are lesbians, ruling that there is no gay exception to Michigan?s child custody laws...

NJ Divided on Marriage Equality

Posted on February 19, 2009
A poll conducted by Monmouth University on behalf of Gannett shows that New Jersey remains divided on changing the marriage laws in the state. The poll shows that although the percentage of residents who favor allowing same-sex couples to marry (48%) remains unchanged from October 2007, the percentage who oppose recognition has dropped by 2% to 43%...

2009 Estate Tax and Gift Tax Exclusions Increase

Posted on February 18, 2009
The federal estate tax is a tax imposed on all transfers by a decedent, including probate and non-probate assets. The The unified credit, that is, the amount that is excluded from the estate tax, increased automatically to $3.5 million. The maximum tax rate on taxable transfers in excess of the unified credit remains at 45%...

NJ Couple Wins Right to Divorce

Posted on February 06, 2009
TRENTON—The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today celebrated a victory in a case that allows a same-sex couple married outside the state to get divorced in the New Jersey courts. While the day a relationship ends is never happy, I am relieved that the courts of New Jersey are allowing us to move on, rather than keeping our relationship status in legal limbo, said La Kia Hammond, the ACLU-NJ client who was granted a divorce in New Jersey today...

Crossing the Line

Posted on December 24, 2008
Recently, my husband Richard, and I joined our niece for dinner in Philadelphia. Because we often cross the river from New Jersey into Philadelphia for dinner, to shop, to visit a museum or for business, our niece said to me, Uncle Stephen, why don't you move to Philadelphia? Because, I said, Pennsylvania doesn't respect our marriage...

NY Birth Certificates to Name Both Same-sex Parents

Posted on December 12, 2008
NEW YORK— The New York State Health Department has agreed to allow same-sex married couples to list both parents names on the birth certificates of children born during the marriage. The directive, which conforms with Gov. David Paterson's state-wide order to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages, means that married same-sex couples are treated equally to opposite-sex married couples, at least in regard to the birth of children during the marriage...

NJ Commission Recomends Marriage Equality

Posted on December 11, 2008
TRENTON—The New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission released its final report on December 17, 2008, with a unanimous finding that the State's civil union law fails to meet the Supreme Court's requirement that same-sex couples be afforded treatment equal to that of married couples, and recommending that the Legislature quickly pass a marriage equality law...

CT Becomes Third State With Full Marriage Equality

Posted on October 10, 2008
HARTFORD—The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex couples have the right to marry. In the 4-3 ruling, the Court concluded that civil unions does not provide true equality and its imposition imposes a "cognizable harm" on same-sex couples...

Expecting the Unexpected

Posted on September 25, 2008
I have been reminded several times in recent months that life is full of unexpected events. First, a client of mine very nearly died during a routine medical procedure. Second, a freak accident resulted in my becoming (temporarily) physically incapacitated...

NY Court Upholds Marriage Recognition Order

Posted on September 03, 2008
New York, NY—A New York judge ruled Tuesday that Governor David Paterson (D) did not act illegally when he issued a directive ordering state agencies to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages. To recognize same-sex marriages legally solemnized in other jurisdictions is consistent with New York's common law, statutory law, and constitutional separation of powers, said the ruling by Justice Lucy Billings in Bronx Supreme Court...

Majority Support for Marriage Equality in NJ

Posted on August 20, 2008
TRENTON, NJ—A majority of New Jersey residents favors marriage equality for same-sex couples over civil unions, according to a poll released Tuesday. The Zogby Poll found an even bigger majority would not be opposed to lawmakers changing the civil union law to marriage equality...

CA Marriage Debate Not Completely Settled

Posted on August 08, 2008
Over four years ago, the mayor of San Francisco directed the city to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. A month after these initial licenses were issued, the California Supreme Court issued an injunction prohibiting the city from issuing further licenses...

NY Court to Hear Marriage Recognition Challenge

Posted on August 06, 2008
The right-wing Alliance Defense Fund, on behalf of some New York lawmakers, goes to the New York Supreme Court on Thursday to fight Gov. David Paterson's executive order to recognize out-of-state gay unions. The group is citing the definition of the word marriage according to the online edition of the Merriam-Webster dictionary, claiming that legal recognition of same-sex marriages would undermine the democratic process and force taxpayers to fund benefits for same-sex couples, the New York Sun reported...

MA Now Allows Non-residents to Marry

Posted on August 01, 2008
BOSTON, MA—Gay and lesbian couples from outside Massachusetts are now free to marry in the state. Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday signed a bill repealing a 1913 law that barred couples from marrying in Massachusetts if their union would not be valid in their own states...

MA Repeals Non-resident Marriage Ban

Posted on July 30, 2008
BOSTON, MA—The Massachusetts House yesterday repealed a 1913 law used to bar the marriages of same-sex couples who are residents of states which would not recognize their unions. The measure already has passed the Senate and Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has said he will sign it...

NY Blue Cross, Blue Shield Extend Marriage Coverage

Posted on July 28, 2008
BUFFALO, NY—Less than three weeks after a legally married New York lesbian couple sued Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York for denying them spousal health benefits, the insurer said it will begin covering married same-sex couples. We applaud Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York for following the law and treating all married couples the same, Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, told OutcomeBuffalo...

Fed Ct Upholds Dismissal of Philadelphia Anti-gay Suit

Posted on July 16, 2008
PHILADELPHIA, PA—A three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed the dismissal of the lawsuit against Philly Pride, Fran Price and Chuck Volz brought by members of Repent America. The Third Court's favorable opinion was issued in Startzell, et al...

MA Senate Votes to Allow Out-of-State Marriages

Posted on July 15, 2008
BOSTON, MA—The Massachusetts Senate has voted to repeal a 1913 law used to bar same-sex couples from states which would not recognize their marriages from marrying in Massachusetts. The House is expected to vote this week. House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi (D) and Senate President Therese Murray (D) both support the repeal effort...

FL Hospital Sued For Denying Access to Dying Partner

Posted on June 26, 2008
Miami, FL—A lawsuit will be filed in Miami Wednesday against a hospital that refused to allow the partner of a dying lesbian to see because they were not considered family. The case is a poignant reminder that same-sex couples, even those in a legally-recognized relationship, should have proper advanced directives and other estate planning documents...

CA Marriage Equality Effective Today

Posted on June 16, 2008
Westmont, NJ—After 5:00 pm today, gay and lesbian couples will be able to marry in California. Unlike Massachusetts, which does not allow non-resident couples, including those from New Jersey, to marry in that state, California has no such restriction...

A2978 Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act

Posted on June 16, 2008
This bill, titled the Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act, would authorize same-sex marriage in the State. The bill defines marriage as the legally recognized union of two consenting persons in a committed relationship. In Lewis v...

NJ Couple Awarded $2.84M for Harassment

Posted on June 12, 2008
Secaucus, NJ—A Secaucus gay couple who endured years of threats and harassment from volunteer firefighters have been awarded $2.84 million in a civil rights suit against the town. When Peter de Vries, 55, and Timothy Carter, 45, bought their dream house they knew it was beside a fire hall, but figured they'd get used to the occasional noise from the sirens as the volunteer firefighters raced to a blaze...

S1967 Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act

Posted on June 09, 2008
This bill, titled the Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act, would authorize same-sex marriage in the State. The bill defines marriage as the legally recognized union of two consenting persons in a committed relationship. In Lewis v...

VA Supreme Court Upholds Child Custody Case

Posted on June 06, 2008
RICHMOND, VA—The Virginia Supreme Court said Friday that a Vermont court's ruling should stand in a child visitation dispute between two former lesbian partners. Friday's decision is a victory for Janet Jenkins, who entered a civil union with Lisa Miller in Vermont in 2000...

Entering a Civil Union

Posted on June 05, 2008
In order to enter into a civil union in New Jersey, you must first obtain a civil union license after proving your eligibility, wait at least the required 72 hours until the license is issued to you, then have a person who is eligible to do so solemnize the civil union...

CA Supreme Rejects Stay, Rehearing; Marriages Begin June 16

Posted on June 04, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The California Supreme Court today filed an order in the Marriage Cases (S147999; decision filed May 15, 2008), denying requests to stay its decision until after the November 2008 election and denying petitions for rehearing. The rehearing petitions were denied by a 4-3 vote...

The Family Home, Part II

Posted on June 03, 2008
Most gay or lesbian couples choose to share ownership of their personal residence. If you are in a domestic partnership or simply living together as unmarried cohabitants, your most common choice is joint tenancy with rights of survivorship. If you are in a civil union, you have an additional choice, tenancy by the entireties...

NY Marriage-Equality Opponents Considering Options

Posted on June 02, 2008
Albany, NY—Opponents of same-sex unions were pondering a range of legal and legislative challenges to Gov. David A. Paterson's new policy of having state agencies honor same-sex marriages that have been performed outside New York. Though the directive was issued by Mr...

CA Anti-Gay Marriage Initiative Qualifies for Ballot

Posted on June 02, 2008
Sacramento, CA—An initiative that would again outlaw gay marriage in California has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State announced Monday. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen said a random check of signatures submitted by the measure's sponsors showed that they had gathered enough names for it to be put to voters...

NY to Recognize Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages

Posted on May 29, 2008
ALBANY, NY—New York Gov. David Paterson issued a directive on May 14 to all state agencies — including those governing insurance and health care — to immediately change policies and regulations to recognize gay marriages. For years, gay rights advocates have sought recognition for same-sex marriages so couples could share family health care plans, receive tax breaks by filing jointly, enjoy stronger adoption rights and inherit property...

CT Couples Still Waiting for Marriage Equality

Posted on May 17, 2008
Hartford, CT—One year ago this week the Connecticut Supreme Court heard arguments in a case involving 8 same-sex couples seeking the right to marry. The court reserved judgment in the case, and for the past 12 months gay and lesbian couples in the state have been waiting for a ruling, having to make do with civil unions that most LGBT advocates say are insufficient...

CA Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Marriage Equality

Posted on May 15, 2008
San Francisco, CA—The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Prop 22, the voter approved initiative used to block same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The court also said that California's domestic partnership law is not a good enough substitute for marriage...

PA Marriage Ban "Indefinitely Tabled"

Posted on May 07, 2008
Harrisburg, PA—In a surprise move just hours before the Pennsylvania Senate was expected to approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would bar same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state the measure's backer pulled the bill. Sen. Michael Brubaker (R) in asking to have the bill indefinitely tabled said that even though there was broad support in the Senate it would likely fail in the House...

PA Marriage Ban Advances

Posted on May 06, 2008
HARRISBURG, PA—Minutes after a Senate committee approved a bill to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage yesterday, Democratic legislators from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia vociferously attacked the proposal, calling it disgraceful, morally wrong and unnecessary...

NY High Court Lets Marriage Case Stand

Posted on May 06, 2008
The Court of Appeals, the highest court in New York State, Tuesday declined to hear a case challenging an appeals court ruling that found the marriages of same-sex couples married in jurisdictions where they are legal must be recognized in New York. The decision not to accept the case means the lower court ruling will stand...

NJ Gov Signs Family Medical Leave Act

Posted on May 02, 2008
TRENTON—Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed an historic family leave insurance bill, propelling New Jersey to become only the third state in the nation to enact a family leave program for workers caring for sick family members, newborn and newly-adopted children...

Trespassing Charge for NY Couple Seeking Marriage License

Posted on April 30, 2008
Oyster Bay, NY—A middle-aged gay couple was charged with trespassing when they refused to leave the town clerk's office after being refused a marriage license. Dan Pinello, 58, and Lee Nissensohn, 50, entered the building about 3:30 Monday afternoon...

No Evidence for Hate Crimes in Newark Murders

Posted on April 28, 2008
By Lou Chibbaro Jr. Washington Blade Newark, NJ—A New Jersey prosecutor last week said investigators have yet to find sufficient evidence to classify as a hate crime the execution-style slayings of three college students in a Newark schoolyard last August hours before they planned to attend a Gay Pride festival...

VA Supreme Court Hears Child Custody Case

Posted on April 17, 2008
By Frank Green Times-Dispatch The Virginia Supreme Court heard arguments this morning in a long-running custody battle over a 6-year-old girl and two women who entered into a civil union in Vermont but then later broke up. Lisa Miller-Jenkins returned to Virginia with her daughter, Isabella, who was conceived via artificial insemination...

Happy Birthday, LAD

Posted on April 16, 2008
by Frank Vespa-Papaleo, Director New Jersey Division on Civil Rights On April 16, 1945, in the midst of the Second World War and just one day after the nation laid to rest the late President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, U.S. President Harry Truman addressed a joint session of Congress, telling those assembled that with FDR's passing, [n]o man could possibly fill the tremendous void left by the passing of that noble soul...

Same-Sex Wedding Business Good for New Jersey

Posted on April 14, 2008
By Joshua Kurlantzick New York Times Last summer, when Kimberly McHugh and Laura Pazarena, a couple in Washington, decided to celebrate their union, they quickly ran into the same problems that any couple faces. There were so many vendors, flowers, the D...

PA Anti-Gay Ban Will Cost Jobs

Posted on April 12, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA—Supporters and opponents of a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania constitution to restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples filled Pittsburgh's Allegheny County Courthouse for a public hearing. The amendment also would ban civil unions and could be used, say opponents, to cancel domestic partner benefits...

A873 Family Medical Leave

Posted on April 11, 2008
This bill extends the State's existing temporary disability insurance (TDI) system to provide workers with family temporary disability leave benefits to care for members of the worker's family unable to care for themselves, including sick family members and newborn and newly adopted children...

Tax Bite Worse for Same-Sex Couples

Posted on April 10, 2008
By Geoff Mulvihill Associated Press Mt. Laurel, NJ—For gay couples, the April 15 tax filing deadline can be a reminder of the disparities they face, even in a nation that is becoming more accepting of same-sex couples. Gay couples often pay higher taxes because they don't get the federal tax benefits that go with marriage...

The Family Home

Posted on April 04, 2008
The most important asset most gay or lesbian families will ever own is their home. Joint home ownership is often the first formal step couples take toward cementing their relationship. Whether you are buying your first home together or living together in a home that one or both of you currently own, you need to consider how the civil union law affects your home ownership...

NY Court Recognizes Canadian Marriage

Posted on March 31, 2008
New York, NY—A New York appeals court has vacated the ruling of a lower court that a gay man was not entitled to spousal health insurance benefits even though he and his spouse were lawfully married in Canada. Duke Funderburke, 72, married his partner of 42 years, Brad Davis, 67, in October of 2004 in a ceremony in Ontario, Canada...

Konica Terminates Benefits for Former NJ Resident

Posted on March 25, 2008
Boise, Idaho—Seeking to maintain health insurance for a 9/11 survivor, the American Civil Liberties Union today sent a demand letter to the New Jersey offices of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (KMBS) urging the company to interpret its policy on domestic partner health insurance so that more employees will have access to the insurance...

PA Ban on Civil Unions, Marriage Equality Advances

Posted on March 19, 2008
Harrisburg, PA—A proposal to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to ban gay marriages and civil unions received approval from a Senate committee Tuesday as supporters seek to revive an effort that stalled in 2006. In a packed Judiciary Committee hearing, opponents tried, but failed, to delay a vote...

CT Civil Unions Not Working

Posted on March 18, 2008
Hartford—Gay and lesbian couples told state lawmakers Monday that civil unions are not working and they provided evidence that the intentions of the law are not being followed. Civil unions became legal in Connecticut in 2005. The accords same-sex couples most of the rights and obligations Connecticut gives married couples...

VT Supreme Court Upholds Lesbian Visitation

Posted on March 15, 2008
Montpelier, VT—A woman involved in a high-profile custody dispute welcomed a Vermont Supreme Court ruling yesterday upholding her visitation rights to a child her former lesbian partner had when they were together. I think it's absolutely wonderful, said Janet Miller-Jenkins, 43, of Fair Haven, Vt...

WA State Expands Domestic Partnership Rights

Posted on March 14, 2008
by Rachel La Corte Associated Press OLYMPIA, WA—Domestic partners will be granted more than 170 of the benefits and responsibilities given to married couples under a measure signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Chris Gregoire. The measure adds domestic partners to sections of laws where previously only spouses were mentioned, including areas referring to probate and trusts, community property and homestead exemptions, and guardianship and powers of attorney...

S786 Family Medical Leave

Posted on March 13, 2008
This bill extends the State's existing temporary disability insurance (TDI) system to provide workers with family temporary disability leave benefits to care for members of the worker's family unable to care for themselves, including sick family members and newborn and newly adopted children...

PA Poll Shows Wide Support for Civil Unions

Posted on March 08, 2008
A new survey has found overwhelming support for allowing civil unions for same-sex couples in Pennsylvania. Sixty-five percent of those polled said they would support civil unions in the state, while 37 percent were opposed. The survey was conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research for the Value All Families Coalition, an umbrella organization fighting a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania constitution that would ban same-sex marriage, block civil unions and possibly curtail domestic partner benefits...

CA Supreme Ct Hears Marriage Equality Case

Posted on March 06, 2008
By Maura Dolan Los Angeles Times San Francisco—Four years after thousands of same-sex couples streamed into this liberal bastion to apply for marriage licenses, the California Supreme Court on Tuesday took up the question of whether gay people have a constitutional right to wed...

Marriage Equality Gains in New York Courts

Posted on March 06, 2008
By Anemona Hartocollis New York Times On the way home from work in Rochester, Patricia Martinez stopped at a liquor store and bought a small bottle of Champagne to celebrate her marriage to another woman. The wedding took place in Canada nearly four years ago, but it wasn't until Feb...

Marriage Equality Attracts Out-of-State Workforce

Posted on March 05, 2008
By Lisa van der Pool Boston Business Journal Massachusetts native Jeffrey Webb loved the Los Angeles lifestyle. He had a great job as a law partner in the L.A. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and his life partner, Mark Schuster, was equally happy with his work as chief of general pediatrics and professor at UCLA...

NY Court Allows Same-Sex Divorce to Proceed

Posted on February 27, 2008
New York, NY—In what is believed to be a groundbreaking ruling a New York City judge says that the ruling by the state's highest court that found there is no constitutional right for same-sex marriage does not apply to divorce. The ruling by Supreme Court Justice Laura Drager allows a Manhattan woman to sue for divorce from her same-sex partner whom she married in Canada in 2004...

Laurel Hester Documentary Wins Academy Award

Posted on February 25, 2008
Los Angeles—A documentary film on the struggle by New Jersey police officer Laurel Hester's struggle to have her domestic partner recognized as her next of kin has won an Academy Award. Freeheld: The Laurel Hester Story was directed and produced by filmmaker Cynthia Wade...

NY Marriage Decision Appealed

Posted on February 22, 2008
Rochester, NY—Monroe County today undermined fairness and the protection of its families when it filed a motion to appeal a decision that recognized valid same-sex marriages from outside the state. The county's misguided effort is in response to a New York Civil Liberties Union victory earlier this month in which, in a unanimous decision, a New York appellate court ruled that marriages of same-sex couples entered into outside of New York must be recognized in this state...

Civil Union Partners Treated as Second-Class Citizens

Posted on February 21, 2008
by Charles Toutant New Jersey Law Journal New Jersey's year-old Civil Union Act has failed so far to convey to registered same-sex couples the rights and privileges of marriage, a state commission reported on Monday. The Civil Union Review Commission, the panel charged with gauging the Act's success in fulfilling its equal-protection mandate, recounted testimony of repeated instances of employers denying ERISA-plan health benefits to civil-union partners of their employees...

CU Commission Report Cites Flaws in NJ Law

Posted on February 20, 2008
by Tina Kelley New York Times Trenton, NJ—New Jersey's civil union law creates a second-class status for same-sex couples and is particularly vexing for people in the military, transgender people, the poor and minorities, according to a report issued on Tuesday by a commission set up to review the law...

NJ Gov Sees Significant Concerns With Civil Unions

Posted on February 19, 2008
TRENTON—Gov. Jon Corzine said today a new report issued on the one-year anniversary of civil unions raises significant concerns about whether they give same-sex couples all the benefits and duties of marriage by another name. As expected, the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission met in Trenton and formally released its 21-page interim report finding, among other things, that civil unions are not clear to the general public and confer second-class status on the same-sex couples who form them...

Civil Union Law Fails to Achieve Goal of Equality

Posted on February 19, 2008
Robert Schwaneberg The Star-Ledger February TRENTON—When civil unions became available one year ago, Gina Pastino of Upper Montclair was thrilled to form one with her partner of a dozen years, Naomi Cohen. But the couple are frustrated after a year of trying to explain — at the bank, the passport office and repeatedly in hospitals — that their civil union entitles them to be treated like spouses...

NJ Report Says Civil Unions Create Second-Class Status

Posted on February 16, 2008
GEOFF MULVIHILL AP News TRENTON—A commission established to study same-sex civil unions in New Jersey has found in its first report that civil unions create a second-class status for gay couples, rather than giving them equality. The report stops short of recommending that the state allow gay marriage...

Tying the Knot

Posted on February 04, 2008
In September 2007, my spouse, Richard, and I went to Vancouver and were legally married. The process was so heartwarming that I can only hope that everyone will have the opportunity to take this giant step. After booking our flights and accommodations, we contacted an official marriage commissioner, Maureen Hunter, who kindly agreed to conduct our wedding, and to provide two witnesses and a photographer...

Oregon Domestic Partnership Law Upheld

Posted on February 01, 2008
PORTLAND—An Oregon state law allowing gay couples to register as domestic partners belatedly took effect late Friday after a federal judge ruled the state's process of disqualifying petition signatures was consistent enough to be valid. The state quickly announced that the domestic partnership applications were available online, and jubilant gay-rights activists predicted hundreds of couples would line up on Monday morning at county offices to register...

NY Must Recognize Same-sex Marriages

Posted on February 01, 2008
ROCHESTER—A New York appeals court has ruled that a gay couple's marriage in Canada should be recognized in New York. The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court on Friday reversed a judge's ruling in 2006 that Monroe Community College did not have to extend health benefits to an employee's lesbian partner...

S2975 Revises Laws Concerning Hate Crimes and Bullying

Posted on January 07, 2008
This bill substantially revises the current hate crimes and bullying law. Section 1 of the bill amends the law concerning the crime of bias intimidation to specifically provide that gender identity or expression and national origin are within the protected classes set forth in the statute...

NH Civil Unions at Midnight; OR Domestic Partnership on Hold

Posted on December 31, 2007
CONCORD, N.H—(Concord, New Hampshire) New Hampshire is becoming the fourth state to legalize civil unions and about 20 couples decided to be the first to take advantage of the new law with a late-night ceremony on the Statehouse steps. Jennifer Major of Gilmanton, who helped organize the group ceremony, said festivities would begin at about 11 p...

NJ Div of Taxation Proposed Regulations

Posted on December 17, 2007
NEW JERSEY REGISTERVOLUME 39, NUMBER 24MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2007RULE PROPOSALTREASURY-TAXATIONDIVISION OF TAXATIONTRANSFER INHERITANCE AND ESTATE TAX Proposed Amendments: N.J.A.C. 18:26-1.1 , 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.16, 3A.2, 3A.3, 3A.8, 3A.10, 5.4, 5.11, 6...

RI Court Rejects Same-Sex Divorce

Posted on December 12, 2007
PROVIDENCE—In a split ruling Rhode Island's Supreme Court said Friday that a lesbian couple who married in Massachusetts cannot get divorced in their home state of Rhode Island. The case involves Margaret R. Chambers and Cassandra B. Ormiston who were married in Massachusetts in 2004...

Hyland Receives Distinguished Legislative Services Award

Posted on December 07, 2007
NEW BRUNSWICK—Stephen J. Hyland, a Cherry Hill resident and attorney with offices in Westmont and Pennington, was honored with the New Jersey State Bar Association's (NJSBA) Distinguished Legislative Service Award during the Association's Board of Trustees Meeting and Holiday Luncheon on December 7, 2007 at the NJ Law Center...

Protecting Your Family

Posted on November 22, 2007
In my previous article, I talked about the changes to parenting brought about by the civil union bill in New Jersey. For lesbian couples, in particular, the new law is very helpful, since it means that a child born to one spouse in a civil union is presumed to be the child of the other partner...

NJ Civil Union Law Falls Short, Commission Told

Posted on October 28, 2007
TINA KELLEY New York Times NUTLEY—Jodi Weiner, an electrician from Montclair, said that when she tried to get health benefits for her partner of nine years, she was told that her union's plans did not cover civil unions. It was only when she mentioned that they had been married in Massachusetts that her partner was able to get benefits...

CURC Gets an Earful on Civil Unions

Posted on October 05, 2007
by Maria Vogel-Short New Jersey Law Journal State agencies monitoring the rollout of New Jersey's civil union law are getting an earful of feedback - and none of it good. On Sept. 26, the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission heard from 30 witnesses, all of whom say the law has not abated the unequal treatment given same-sex couples in the private sector, chiefly as it relates to health insurance benefits...

Becoming a Family

Posted on September 07, 2007
Civil unions are not perfect, but they open up a whole new set of issues relating to same-sex families, including protections for our children. Prior to the Supreme Court's decision in the New Jersey marriage case (Lewis v. Harris), same-sex couples had the right to adopt their partner's children, via second-parent adoption, to jointly adopt unrelated children, and to seek visitation and custodial rights...

NJ Civil Union Review Commission Public Hearings

Posted on August 28, 2007
TRENTON—In accordance with N.J.S.A. 37:1-36, the public is invited to testify about the effectiveness of the New Jersey Civil Union Act, the State's new law which was enacted to provide committed same-sex c ouples the same rights, benefits, privileges and responsibilities of those in civil marriages...

RI May Grant Same-Sex Divorce

Posted on August 08, 2007
PROVIDENCE—A state court can grant two Providence women a divorce without answering the highly charged question of whether a same-sex marriage performed in Massachusetts should be recognized in Rhode Island, Governor Carcieri and Attorney General Patrick C...

Benefits Testing Limits of Civil Unions

Posted on August 01, 2007
NY Times by KAREEM FAHIM NEWARK—United Parcel Service now grants full health benefits to same-sex partners of its employees, provided they have registered for a civil union in New Jersey (as opposed to, say, in Vermont). But FedEx does not provide benefits to the partners of its New Jersey workers ? unless they happen to work at Kinko's, a FedEx subsidiary...

UPS to Provide Civil Union Benefits

Posted on July 31, 2007
MOUNT LAUREL—After persuasion from New Jersey's governor and attorney general, UPS Inc. said Monday that it would extend health insurance benefits to the civil union partners of gay New Jersey employees covered by a union contract. The policy change has to do with New Jersey's civil unions law, which took effect in February, and seeks to give gay couples the same rights in the state as married couples...

WA State Domestic Partnership in Effect

Posted on July 23, 2007
OLYMPIA—Washington state's domestic partner law went into effect Monday, allowing same and opposite-sex couples to register their relationships and receive some of the state-sanctioned benefits of marriage. People, mainly gay and lesbian couples, began lining up overnight at the Secretary of State's office...

Gov. Corzine Releases Letter to UPS

Posted on July 20, 2007
TRENTON—Governor Jon S. Corzine today released the below letter to United Parcel Service and urged all companies in New Jersey to provide equal rights and benefits to employees in civil unions. July 20, 2007 Mr. Michael L. EskewChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited Parcel Service of America, Inc...