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Md. High Court Poised to Hear (precedent setting) Lesbian Divorce Case
ABC ^ | April 6, 2012 | JESSICA GRESKO

Posted on 04/09/2012 6:26:41 AM PDT by NYer

Maryland's highest court is poised to hear arguments in a precedent-setting case involving two women who married in California but were denied a divorce in Maryland, which does not currently allow same-sex weddings.

The Court of Appeals of Maryland in Annapolis was set to hear arguments Friday from lawyers for the lesbian couple who are seeking to end their marriage. A Maryland judge declined to grant their divorce in 2010, basing his decision on the conclusion that the women's marriage is not valid under Maryland law.

But lawyers for the women disagree, saying the state should recognize gay marriages performed elsewhere even though Maryland does not allow same-sex weddings at the present time. As a result, the couple should be allowed to divorce in the state, the lawyers say.

The high court's ultimate decision may have limited effect since same-sex weddings, and by extension divorces, are set to start in the state in January 2013 under a law passed this year. But opponents of the new law are seeking to overturn it in a potential voter referendum.

Meanwhile, judges in Maryland are inconsistent about granting divorces for gay couples who married in another state. Lawyers involved in Friday's case say they believe judges have granted about a half a dozen divorces for gay couples, but their clients, Jessica Port and Virginia Anne Cowan, and at least one other couple were recently denied that.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: ca; divorce; homosexualagenda; lesbian; ssm
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1 posted on 04/09/2012 6:26:53 AM PDT by NYer
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To: wagglebee; little jeremiah

Ping!


2 posted on 04/09/2012 6:27:32 AM PDT by NYer (He who hides in his heart the remembrance of wrongs is like a man who feeds a snake on his chest. St)
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To: NYer

Sounds like the gay times in Gay-Ville are over.


3 posted on 04/09/2012 6:30:58 AM PDT by Iron Munro (If Repub's paid as much attention to Rush Limbaugh as the Dem's do, we wouldn't be in this mess)
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To: NYer

I am so sick of this country. Sick of it all.


4 posted on 04/09/2012 6:44:33 AM PDT by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
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To: NYer

Kansas has case law which gives the court common law rights to divide assets accumulated by people who live together, no matter what their intimate relationship. It needs to be shown that the couple have commingled their funds and shared living expenses over a period of time. Alimony is not provided for. One judge in our county has found common law sufficient to award visitation rights to the half of the gay couple who is denied access to the children the people have been raising calling it a psychological parenting issue. We have to deal with the children and their relationships to the people who have been raising them. It’s complicated.


5 posted on 04/09/2012 6:49:26 AM PDT by Mercat
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To: Mercat
Kansas has case law which gives the court common law rights to divide assets accumulated by people who live together, no matter what their intimate relationship.

Brother & sister? Grandfather and grandson?

In my opinion, applying heterosexual case law to homosexual relationships is judicial activism plain and simple.

6 posted on 04/09/2012 6:56:16 AM PDT by DBeers (†)
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To: NYer

The Constitution (and its complement state Constitutions) are like a screen door. The more you bang it, the looser it gets. Eventually, it just disintegrates.

What’s happening here is nothing more than two leftists banging on MD law. Probably couldn’t care less about any divorce, and care A GREAT DEAL about destroying the institution of marriage, the foundation and building block of civil society.


7 posted on 04/09/2012 7:07:22 AM PDT by C210N (Mitt "Severe Etch-a-Sketch" mcRominate-me)
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To: NYer

I know two women who each went through a lesbian marriage and divorce.

You think a regular divorce is messy? You ain’t seen nuthin’!

(BTW the courts HATE lesbian divorces, they don’t know who to screw)...


8 posted on 04/09/2012 7:16:34 AM PDT by null and void (Day 1175 of America's ObamaVacation from reality [Heroes aren't made, Frank, they're cornered...])
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To: null and void

It’s bushs fault.


9 posted on 04/09/2012 7:42:15 AM PDT by moovova (Comments at FreeRepublic are WAY MORE interesting than the articles.)
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To: moovova

*ouch*


10 posted on 04/09/2012 7:44:45 AM PDT by null and void (Day 1175 of America's ObamaVacation from reality [Heroes aren't made, Frank, they're cornered...])
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To: NYer

Just another political stunt. The article clearly states that California allows them to divorce there if they were married there. Maryland divorce laws are quite burdensome without the complication of lesbianism. They’d be fools NOT to go to CA.


11 posted on 04/09/2012 9:03:54 AM PDT by Mr. Bird
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To: null and void

What happens if there are children involved?


12 posted on 04/09/2012 9:08:12 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: NYer
Why are we wasting taxpayer money on this nonsense. Every gay marriage initiative bring all kinds of legal issues that have to be resolved at taxpayer expense.

I am sick of paying to subsidize people who embrace the “gay lifestyle" and expect the Christians who they ridicule to pay for their health expenses, their legal bills and their outreach and gay pride programs.

13 posted on 04/09/2012 9:15:44 AM PDT by detective
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To: Vanders9

No idea.


14 posted on 04/09/2012 9:44:50 AM PDT by null and void (Day 1175 of America's ObamaVacation from reality [Heroes aren't made, Frank, they're cornered...])
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To: Vanders9
What happens if there are children involved?

The children are scarred for life and have a greater likelihood of gay behavior themselves. Next question? :-)

15 posted on 04/09/2012 11:20:10 AM PDT by Albion Wilde ("Real men are not threatened by strong women." -- Sarah Palin)
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To: Albion Wilde

I know that :) I was more sort of enquiring what happens to custody, given the well known bias courts have towards the mother in conventional marriage break ups.


16 posted on 04/09/2012 12:38:26 PM PDT by Vanders9
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To: Vanders9

I would guess the “butch” half of the couple will come into court with an extreme girly makeover to look more motherly if she wants the kid.


17 posted on 04/09/2012 12:44:39 PM PDT by JediJones (The Divided States of Obama's Declaration of Dependence: Death, Taxes and the Pursuit of Crappiness)
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To: cuban leaf

We can’t forget either that with each bit of ground we give up they will try to grab more and more. Trump just allowed that transsexual into his beauty pageant. The liberal talk show host Leslie Marshall said on FOX last week that we’re going to see “more and more” transgender people in society, and of course that didn’t bother her. The Chaz Bono thing was a big step towards them thinking that they’ve got enough approval of gays out there now that they can push for this next step of trying to make people accept a perversion of the idea of gender on an even more severe level.


18 posted on 04/09/2012 12:48:40 PM PDT by JediJones (The Divided States of Obama's Declaration of Dependence: Death, Taxes and the Pursuit of Crappiness)
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To: Abundy; Albion Wilde; AlwaysFree; AnnaSASsyFR; bayliving; BFM; cindy-true-supporter; ...

Maryland “Freak State” PING!


19 posted on 04/09/2012 9:16:29 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Occupy DC General Assembly: We are Marxist tools. WE ARE MARXIST TOOLS!)
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To: JediJones

Oh dear. Thats an image that will remain with me for some time to come.


20 posted on 04/09/2012 10:29:31 PM PDT by Vanders9
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