New York Divorce Report - New York's Divorce and Family Law Blog

The New York Court of Appeals narrowly upheld same sex marriage in New York.   The Court, in a 4-3 decision did not settle the question  of whether same-sex marriages performed in other states should be recognized. Judge Eugene F. Pigott Jr., writing for the majority, expressed “hope that the Legislature will address this controversy.” The three judges in  a concurring decision,said that the court should have addressed the wider issue because New York law already allows for the recognition of marriages that are considered legal elsewhere. In her concurring opinion,  Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, wrote  “that the orders under review... More

Governor David Paterson must be a follower of this blog. I have written several times in the recent past about  decisions in which the courts have recognized the validity of same sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. Now, the Governor has issued an directive requiring all New York State agencies to offer gay couples, wed in jurisdictions that allow same sex marriage (like Canada, Massachusetts and now California), the same legal rights as enjoyed by heterosexual couples. According to the New York Times, “The revisions are most likely to involve as many as 1,300 statutes and regulations in New York... More