Orlando Approves Domestic Partner Registry

Dec13

Late Monday afternoon, the Orlando, Florida City Council voted unanimously to enact a domestic partnership registry. Lesbian and gay couples may begin registering on January 12, 2012. The $30 fee will give same-sex couples the right to visit each other in the hospital or jail, to make health care decisions for an incapacitated partner and to make funeral plans. Note that the registry would apply only to hospitals, funeral homes and other institutions located within the Orlando city limits. Couples who are not from Orlando proper are also free to register. Orange County, Florida, is considering enacting a similar registry.

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Disclaimer: The information, comments and links posted on the blog do not constitute legal advice. I will not respond to any specific legal questions in the comments section of this blog. Read my entire disclaimer.

Officials Release Names of Signers of Washington’s Referendum 71

Oct18

We all remember Washington State’s Referendum 71 (2009), which asked voters to approve or reject the state’s domestic partnership law, granting registered domestic partners additional state rights previously given only to married couples. It was ultimately approved.

On Monday, after a District Court battle, the Secretary of State’s Office released the names of 137,500 people who signed Referendum 71 petitions in an effort to bring the law to a public vote.

Read: Ruling brings release of Ref. 71 signers’ names [Seattle Times]

You may recall that in June, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that that gay marriage opponents do not have an automatic legal right to prevent public release of the names and addresses of the signers of the ballot measure favoring traditional marriage. Here’s a link to an old Reuter’s story on that event: U.S. court won’t keep secret gay marriage opponents

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Judge Rules Wisconsin Domestic Partnership Registry Constitutional

Jun22

On Monday, Dane County Circuit Judge Daniel Moeser ruled that Wisconsin’s 2009 Domestic Partnership Registry law does not create a legal status for domestic partners that is identical or substantially similar to that of marriage; that law does not violate the constitutional ban approved by voters in 2006.

“The state does not recognize domestic partnership in a way that even remotely resembles how the state recognizes marriage,” Moeser said in the ruling. “Moreover, domestic partners’ have far fewer legal rights, duties, and liabilities in comparison to the legal rights, duties, and liabilities of spouses.”

Read the full article here.

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Wisconsin’s Governor Seeks To Stop Defense of Domestic Partners Registry

May18

The Journal Sentinal (Wisconsin) reports that “Governor Scott Walker believes a new law that gives gay couples hospital visitation rights violates the state constitution and has asked a judge to allow the state to stop defending it.”

Wisconsin’s domestic partners laws have been on the books since 2009.

“The [domestic partners] registries allow same-sex couples to take family and medical leave to care for a seriously ill partner, make end-of-life decisions and have hospital visitation rights. But according to Fair Wisconsin, they still confer only about a quarter of the rights associated with marriage, lacking provisions to allow couples to file joint tax returns or adopt children together.”

Read: Walker seeks to stop defense of state’s domestic partner registry

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