Free Republic

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A state appeals court ruled Tuesday that New Jersey's Constitution does not require the recognition of gay marriage, rejecting the efforts of seven same-sex couples who sued the state to allow them to marry. The panel, in a 2-1 decision, affirmed a lower court ruling that said legislators must change marriage laws before same-sex couples can wed. Without legislative action, "there is no basis for construing the New Jersey Constitution to compel the state to authorize marriages between members of the same sex," Appellate Judge Stephen Skillman wrote for the majority. Appellate Judge Donald G. Collester...

The Army has taken on a new mission: to help mend war-torn marriages. It's an admirable effort, as young service men and women are sent to harm's way for extended periods of time - including some stationed at Fort Huachuca. When they come home, they may have trouble adjusting back to everyday life, especially with children and spouses. As The Associated Press reported this week, 300 couples with the Fort Campbell-based 101st Airborne Division, which has had troops serve in Iraq, have attended "marriage enrichment" seminars. And surely there are others who need the help, too. According to the story,...

Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz announced on Wednesday that unlike his predecessor, Elyakim Rubinstein, he favors upholding financial arrangements made between same-sex couples and that he had already changed the state's approach to this issue in cases that have come to court. Mazuz issued the statement in response to a ruling in Ramat Gan Family Court that sharply criticized the state's objection to a financial agreement between male partners who wanted to share paternal obligations regarding a child born to one of them.

Canada's Supreme Court has started a three-day hearing on whether gay marriage is constitutional.

Greetings from a fellow FReeper! I am a fervent debater, and most anybody who's ever met me in person can testify to that. One of the most controversial issues I have been debating lately has been gay marriage. Does the U.S. government have a right to ban gay marriage? Can America justify making homosexuality illegal? As a proud Christian, I believe whole-heartedly in the Bible. There isn't the slightest doubt in my mind that the Bible finds homosexuality to be a highly immoral practice. However, when I am arguing with atheists or followers of other religions, especially over a political...

SEATTLE - Now that Barbara and Heather Rhoads-Weaver of Seattle have taken advantage of Canada's new gay marriage law by tying the knot in Victoria, B.C., they have some legal questions to ponder. For instance, should they fill out their tax forms as single or married? When Barbara begins clerking for a Wash. State Supreme Court justice, how will she check her marital status on the human resources forms? "How do we truthfully fill out forms so we don't get penalized as trying to defraud the government?" she asks. The couple have no doubt in their own minds that they...