Oregon will recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
Salem, Ore.--The state’s deputy attorney general issued a legal opinion on October 16 stating that government agencies can recognize same-sex marriages that are legal in the jurisdictions where they were performed, even though Oregon has a constitutional amendment barring the recognition of same-sex marriage.
The state government’s chief operating officer, Michael Jordan, issued a memo informing state agencies of Deputy Attorney General Mary H. Williams’ opinion, sought since neighboring states Washington and California both allow same-sex marriage and are easy destinations for Oregonian couples seeking to get married.
Unlike in Ohio, Oregonians have protections for same-sex relationships. “Same-sex relationships are given legal recognition in Oregon, in the form of domestic-partnership registration,” Williams wrote. “To defend a refusal to acknowledge marriages, the state would have to articulate a state interest in allowing partnerships but refusing to recognize marriages--and, again, we cannot point to any such interest that would pass constitutional muster at even the lowest possible level of scrutiny, rational basis review.”
She points out that “Oregon law--even those laws enshrined in our constitution--still must pass muster under the federal constitution.” She notes the Loving v. Virginia case that struck proscriptions against interracial marriages and a case that struck down a law prohibiting marriage by people who owe child support.
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories13/november/1101134.htm
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Same-sex marriage is legally recognized in several jurisdictions within the United States and is recognized by the federal government for such purposes as taxation and immigration. As of October 2013, fourteen states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington), the District of Columbia, several counties in New Mexico, and seven Native American tribal jurisdictions – covering 33% of the US population – issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Oregon recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other states. The issue is being litigated in a New Mexico Supreme Court case, where officials are seeking a ruling of statewide applicability.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_the_United_States
And on October 30th...
Hawaii state Senate passes gay marriage bill, sending special session measure to House
Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014635912
