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Massachusetts and Same-Sex Marriages: An Update

By Shari Levitan and Ellen Schiffer Berkowitz

As reported on these pages late last year, on Nov. 18, 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decided Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, holding, in a 4-3 decision, that the denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts violated the state's constitution. The case was brought by seven gay and lesbian couples, four of whom have children, and all of whom have been in committed relationships that range from 4 to 30 years in duration. When the Department of Public Health refused to issue marriage licenses to them, the seven couples filed suit, claiming that the Commonwealth's denial of marriage licenses violated Massachusetts law.

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