Terzich & Ort, LLP
Photo of Jodi Marie Terzich and Shannon Leigh Ort
Super Lawyers
Divorce in Minnesota

Divorce In Minnesota

Divorce in Minnesota

Divorce In Minnesota

Spousal Maintenance

Spousal Maintenance

Spousal Maintenance

Spousal Maintenance

Property Division

Property Division

Property Division

Property Division

Paternity Cases

Paternity Cases

Paternity Cases

Paternity Cases

Domestic Abuse

Domestic Abuse

Domestic Abuse

Domestic Abuse

With the debate about gay marriages and same-sex relationships still raging across the U.S., Minnesota continues to be a place that appears to have progressed beyond many other states in its perception and acceptance of such marriages. From the discussions of family law regarding granting legal recognition to married same-sex couples obtaining the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts, Minnesota always has played a key role.

A recent development in the state may show that new thoughts are being voiced about such domestic partnerships. According to a professor of civil rights and civil liberties law at the University of the Minnesota School of Law, same-sex marriages even may have managed to uphold the traditional sanctity of marriage better than heterosexual versions of marriage have done. It is, after all, these couples’ belief in the institutional virtues of marriage that have made them fight for their right to get married and have that marriage legally recognized.

The gradual influx of acceptance of such marriages across the U.S. perhaps also indicates a growing tendency to lean in favor of marriage in general; states in which such recognition has been accorded legally already have advanced toward integrating these couples into their social and cultural environment. The equality between the married couples that is another feature of such marriages also may be perceived as a step in the progressive direction, as per the opinion of the professor.

If the words of the professor truly represent the social and legal scenario in Minnesota, one may conclude that the state has come a long way in making all efforts to treat same-sex married couples by the same standards as anybody else. Under such circumstances, any such couple might be better off to familiarize themselves with the new legal rights and responsibilities to which they are entitled in the state.

Source: Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, “Speaker: Gay Marriage Is ‘Profoundly Conservative’,” Travis Gulbrandson, April 8 2014