Iowa, Vermont Sanction Gay Marriage

Two more states beat Cali to the same-sex altar.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

If it weren't for Prop 8, California would have taken silver after Massachusetts in the state-by-state race to sanction gay marriage. But Connecticut legalized it in October 2008, Iowa took the bronze April 3, and Vermont placed fourth four days later.

In a unanimous ruling last week, the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex weddings, upholding a lower court's opinion that a gay marriage ban violates the Iowa Constitution's guarantee of equal protection.

Then, on April 7, the Vermont Legislature narrowly overrode Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making the Green Mountain State the first to sanction gay unions legislatively rather than judicially.

Last May the California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, but the passage of Proposition 8 in November put an end to the unions. Supporters of gay marriage sued, questioning whether the proposition is consistent with the California Constitution.

The California Supreme Court heard the arguments in March. Judges are still deliberating the legality of Proposition 8 and the fate of the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed in the six-month window when they were legal.

Civil unions—marriage rights without the title—are legal in New Jersey and New Hampshire. New Jersey and New York lawmakers are also considering gay marriage bills.