Posts tagged as:

Defense of Marriage Act

IRS Asked to Rule on Same Sex Partnerships

12 August 2010

Yet another decision is expected on the legality of same sex marriages (CNN predicts that it will happen between 9am and noon PST today). This one focuses on whether to keep a temporary stay in place following a judge’s decision last week to overturn Proposition 8, the state’s ban on same-sex marriages. As then, I [...]

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Proposition 8 Overturned, Now What?

5 August 2010

Yesterday, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco ruled that California’s Proposition 8 violates the US Constitution. While there were a lot of cheers and boos after the ruling, you and I both know this means practically nothing. No matter which side Walker came down on, an appeal was a sure thing. I [...]

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Hey Congress, Why Don’t You…? Gay Marriage

2 September 2009

Gideon Alper, who publishes the Gay Couples Law Blog, which discusses new developments in same-sex family law and estate planning, writes: The IRS should recognize gay marriages not just as a matter of equality, but also to encourage socially beneficial behavior in gay relationships. Fred Silberberg, a Los Angeles attorney that has practiced family law [...]

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Court Rules on DOMA Challenge By Not Addressing DOMA

15 July 2009

Last year, while Californians were in the midst of a heated debate on the merits of Prop 8, Charles Merrill took activism into his own hands: he filed papers in Tax Court challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). On July 13, the Tax Court ruled that Merrill was not entitled to relief. (Merrill v. [...]

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Like the Way I Do: Melissa Etheridge Threatens Not to Pay State Taxes

10 November 2008

Melissa Etheridge is angry. In an article posted on The Daily Beast, Etheridge railed against the passing of Proposition 8 in California. Proposition 8 is, as you may know, a law which defines marriage in California as between a man and a woman. The law supersedes gay marriages in parts of the state, effectively making [...]

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Merrill Challenges Defense of Marriage Act on Tax Grounds

28 October 2008

Charles Merrill, cousin of the founder of Merrill Lynch, has filed a challenge in the US Tax Court against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Merrill is arguing that the Tax Code is discriminatory under the First Amendment Establishment Clause of the US Constitution since same sex couples are denied the same benefits as straight [...]

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