Litigation

Maryland to Recognize Gay Marriages

By Peter Hardin

Douglas Gansler, the Maryland attorney general, said  Maryland will recognize same-sex unions when gay couples have married elsewhere.

He also said  state agencies should begin affording gay married couples the rights of heterosexual married couples, according to a Washington Post article. Gansler gave a legal opinion that stoked immediate controversy, and the Democrat acknowledged it is likely to be tested in court.

A Baltimore Sun article pointed out that the opinion does not enable gay couples to be married in Maryland, and it does not have the weight of law but is intended to provide guidance for judges and state agencies. Gansler’s opinion is available here.

Both sides of the gay marriage issue have squared off in a recent trial in California over same-sex marriage. The judge has not reached a decision in the case; his decision could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. You can read more about that case in Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on February 25, 2010 (boomark / email).