Title: The Ultimate Guide to Gay Marriage Laws | LegalMatch
Headings: The Ultimate Guide to Gay Marriage Laws
The Ultimate Guide to Gay Marriage Laws
The Ultimate Guide to Gay Marriage Laws
Contents
What Recent Legal Changes have Occurred in the U.S. for Gay Marriage?
What Legal Benefits or Privileges are Afforded to Same-Sex Spouses?
Are there Alternatives to Gay Marriage?
Are Divorces the Same for Same-Sex Spouses?
Do I Need to Consult a Lawyer about My Rights Regarding Gay Marriage?

Content: Are Divorces the Same for Same-Sex Spouses? Do I Need to Consult a Lawyer about My Rights Regarding Gay Marriage? What Recent Legal Changes have Occurred in the U.S. for Gay Marriage? In 1996, Congress enacted the Defense of Marriage Act, (DOMA) that provided only one man and one woman could be legally married as it pertained to federal benefits for married persons in the U.S.
The first state to legalize gay marriage after DOMA was Massachusetts in 2003. Between 2008-2009, five states including California, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia legalized gay marriage. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the DOMA statute in the case of U.S. v. Windsor. In that case, the court held that it was in violation of the U.S. Constitution, specifically Due Process and Equal Protection clauses, by limiting marriage benefits to only heterosexual couples. This removed all federal barriers to same-sex couples who were already married in a state that legalized same-sex marriage. After this case, several states legalized gay marriage, leaving only 20 that did not until after a ruling in 2015. In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court made a landmark decision in favor of gay marriage when it decided the case of Obergefell v. Hodges.