In her latest Forbes column, Stoel Rives tax and estate planning attorney Wendy Goffe reviews recent developments in the ongoing battle over same-sex marriage. The Supreme Court's June 26 decision in Windsor v. U.S. overturned the section of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that limited marriage to a man and a woman, but left key issues unresolved. Since the decision did not legalize same-sex marriage, states remain free to decide whether to allow these marriages or recognize those performed in other states.
Goffe describes a series of lawsuits filed in at least 18 states by couples seeking to secure benefits denied to them in states that ban same-sex marriage. She also notes that legislative efforts to legalize same-sex marriages are underway in Illinois, New Jersey, Hawaii and Pennsylvania, with same-sex marriage initiatives likely in Oregon in 2014 and Nevada in 2016.
Read the article on the Forbes website
"Fervent Battle Continues Over Same-Sex Marriage" was published by Forbes, October 9, 2013.