On June 26, 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court issued their decision in the Obergefell v. Hodges case (see Obergefell v. Hodges, No. 14-556, 2015 WL 2473451 [U.S. June 26, 2015]) which held, inter alia, that:
- “The Fourteenth Amendment [of the U.S. Constitution] requires a State to license a marriage between two people of the same sex”; and
- “The Fourteenth Amendment requires States to recognize same-sex marriages validly performed out of State. Since same-sex couples may now exercise the fundamental right to marry in all States, there is no lawful basis for a State to refuse to recognize a lawful same-sex marriage performed in another State on the ground of its same-sex character.”
As a result of this decision, we are modifying Cx13441 by removing the phrase “in both traditional and same-sex marriages” from the second paragraph of the document, in light of the fact that there is no longer a need to distinguish between the two due to various State laws.
Since domestic partnerships and civil unions still exist, we will continue to provide this document for the foreseeable future. The Vermont-equivalent of this document (Cx5107) does not need any similar modifications.
This change will take effect on July 11, 2015. If you have any concerns or questions about these changes, please contact Client Support at 1.800.497.3584.
July 6, 2015
DR 172958