On friday, a New York appeals court made an important decision: they have declared that valid same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries must be recognized legally in the state of New York.
The case came about in 2005 when Patricia Martinez, a word processing supervisor at Monroe Community College in Rochester, was denied spousal health benefits for her wife, Lisa Golden. The couple had been married in Canada in 2004. The college argued that the marriage was not valid in the state of New York, so spousal benefits were not required.
An appeals court panel found:
(the marriage) “is entitled to recognition in New York in the absence of express legislation to the contrary.”
While the court noted that it would be possible for the state to pass legislation to invalidate its ruling, the fact remains that this decision has been handed down and is now legal precedent, which will have to be considered in other, similar cases in other states.
Congratulations, Patricia and Lisa! And thank you.
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