[quote=davelj]Explain something to me. Before this recent ruling, were same-sex civil unions legal in CA? Are same-sex civil unions legal in the US?
Pardon my ignorance on this issue. I’m trying to distinguish between the status of same-sex civil unions and same-sex marriages here in the US.
Personally, I’d be in favor of outlawing marriages altogether and allowing civil unions between any consenting adults – including polygamists, etc. But that’s just me.[/quote]
California law (this ruling notwithstanding) provides for Domestic Partnerships. Similar to other state’s civil union laws, it provides many, but certainly not all of the rights and privledges of marriage under state law, and has some requirements that do not exist under the state laws covering marriage.
There are no federal laws outlawing civil unions, domestic partnerships, or same-sex marriage. There is however, the “Defense of Marriage Act”, passed in 1996, which (in my opinion, in violation of the both the full faith and credit and equal protection clauses of the Constitution) exempted requiring states from recognizing unions from other states. The SCOTUS has yet to rule on its legality.
