other states. In February 2015, the United States Department of Labor issued its final rule amending the definition of "spouse" under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) in response to the Windsor decision. The new rule became effective 27 March 2015. The revised definition of "spouse" extended FMLA leave rights and job protections to eligible employees in a same-sex marriage or a common-law marriage entered into in a state where those statuses were legally recognized, regardless of the state in which the employee worked or resided. Accordingly, even if an employer had employees working where same-sex or common law marriage was not recognized, those employees' spouses would trigger FMLA coverage if an employee was married in one of the states that recognized same-sex marriage or common law marriage. The Obergefell v. Hodges decision on 26 June 2015 eliminated the distinction between same-sex marriage and opposite-sex marriage at the federal level, holding that marriage was a constitutional right, and that same-sex couples were entitled to equal rights under the law. In December 2022, the Respect for Marriage Act was signed into law, repealing DOMA and codifying the rights to both same-sex and interracial marriage under federal law. Civil unions Several states offer alternative legal certifications that recognize same-sex relationships. Before states enacted these laws, U.S. cities began offering recognition of these unions. These laws bestow marriage-like rights to these couples, and are referred to as civil unions, domestic partnerships, or reciprocal beneficiaries depending on the state. The extent to which these unions resemble marriage vary by state, and several states have enhanced the rights afforded to them over time. The U.S. jurisdictions that used these forms of same-sex union recognition instead of marriage were Colorado, Wisconsin, and Nevada, all beginning in 2009. U.S. Territories An attempt to ban same-sex marriages and any other legal recognition of same-sex couples in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico failed in 2008. Puerto Rico already banned same-sex marriage by statute. Same-sex marriage became legal in Puerto Rico in 2015 due to Obergefell v. Hodges. Same-sex marriage is not performed in American Samoa, an unorganized territory of the U.S. The application of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to the territory is unclear and has not been challenged. However, the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022 meant same-sex marriages conducted outside of American Samoa must be recognized in the territory. Tribal