List of U.S. state laws on same-sex unions
This article is intended as a resource for current legal status of same-sex unions. See same-sex marriage legislation in the United States, same-sex marriage law in the United States by state, same-sex unions in the United States, and domestic partnership in the United States for more detailed descriptions, outcomes, and history of individual cases.
Marriage summary
On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court held, in Obergefell v. Hodges, that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to offer same-sex marriage and recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.[1]
The federal government has recognized all legally performed same-sex marriages since June 26, 2013 and the decision in United States v. Windsor.
All 50 U.S. states, 4 of 5 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia are fully compliant with the Obergefell decision, but some counties in Alabama (10), Kentucky (2), and Texas (1) have either stopped issuing marriage licenses (10) or continue to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples (3).
In American Samoa and some Native American tribal jurisdictions, same-sex marriages are currently not being licensed and recognized.
Jurisdiction listing
Below is the current status of the law in each of the 50 U.S. states, 5 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
- The blue shading indicates what is currently allowed.
Note: American Samoa is outside of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals system and residents are "American nationals," not "American citizens," so it is not clear whether or not the Supreme Court precedent in Obergefell applies.
Jurisdiction | Civil marriage for same-sex couples | Other civil unions | Notes | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gender restriction | Marriage | Civil Unions | Domestic Partnerships | |||||||
Constitution | Statute | Licenses | Recognition | |||||||
Alabama | No | No | Yes* | Yes | No | No | *10 of 67 counties have stopped issuing marriage licenses. **Legislation is currently pending that may eliminate state issuance of marriage licenses replacing it with private marital contracts submitted to probate courts. | |||
Alaska | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
American Samoa | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||||
Arizona | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Arkansas | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
California | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
Colorado | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||||
Connecticut | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Delaware | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
District of Columbia | N/A | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
Florida | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Georgia | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Guam | N/A | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Hawaii | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||||
Idaho | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Illinois | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||||
Indiana | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Iowa | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Kansas | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Kentucky | No | No | Yes* | Yes | No | No | *Casey County and Whitley County continue to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples. **The Governor of Kentucky has, by executive order, changed marriage licenses to allow county clerks not to sign or endorse them and instead requires notarization for validity. | |||
Louisiana | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Maine | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Ltd | ||||
Maryland | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Ltd | ||||
Massachusetts | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Michigan | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Minnesota | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Mississippi | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Missouri | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Montana | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Nebraska | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Nevada | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
New Hampshire | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
New Jersey | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Ltd | ||||
New Mexico | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
New York | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
North Carolina | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
North Dakota | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Northern Mariana Islands | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Ohio | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Oklahoma | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Oregon | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
Pennsylvania | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Puerto Rico | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Rhode Island | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
South Carolina | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
South Dakota | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Tennessee | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Texas | No | No | Yes* | Yes | No | No | *Irion County continues to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples. | |||
U.S. Virgin Islands | N/A | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Utah | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Vermont | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Virginia | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Washington | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Ltd | ||||
West Virginia | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Wisconsin | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Ltd | ||||
Wyoming | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
Jurisdiction | Civil marriage for same-sex couples | Other civil unions | Notes | |||||||
Gender restriction | Marriage | Civil Unions | Domestic Partnerships | |||||||
Constitution | Statute | Licenses | Recognition |
Jurisdiction status by federal circuit
Note: American Samoa is outside of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals system; appeals from High Court of American Samoa can only be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Federal circuit | Civil marriage for same-sex couples | Notes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Banned | Ban overturned, but order stayed |
Unrecognized contrary to Obergefell |
Legal and recognized | |||
First |
Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire Puerto Rico Rhode Island |
|||||
Second |
Connecticut New York Vermont |
|||||
Third |
Delaware New Jersey Pennsylvania U.S. Virgin Islands |
|||||
Fourth |
Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Virginia West Virginia |
|||||
Fifth |
Louisiana Mississippi Texas |
|||||
Sixth |
Kentucky Michigan Ohio Tennessee |
|||||
Seventh | Illinois Indiana Wisconsin |
|||||
Eighth |
Arkansas Iowa Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota |
|||||
Ninth |
Alaska Arizona California Guam Hawaii Idaho Montana Nevada Northern Mariana Islands Oregon Washington |
|||||
Tenth |
Colorado Kansas New Mexico Oklahoma Utah Wyoming |
|||||
Eleventh |
Alabama Florida Georgia |
|||||
District of Columbia |
District of Columbia | |||||
Federal circuit | Civil marriage for same-sex couples | Notes | ||||
Banned | Ban overturned, but order stayed |
Unrecognized contrary to Obergefell |
Legal and recognized |
See also
In general
In the United States
- Same-sex marriage in the United States
- Timeline of same-sex marriage in the United States
- Public opinion of same-sex marriage in the United States
- Same-sex marriage legislation in the United States
- Same-sex marriage law in the United States by state
- Same-sex marriage under United States tribal jurisdictions
- Rights and responsibilities of marriages in the United States
- Defense of Marriage Act
- Marriage Protection Act of 2007
- U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions
- List of U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions by type
- Federal Marriage Amendment
- Domestic partnership in the United States
- Freedom to Marry Coalition
- LGBT rights in the United States
References
- ↑ "Landmark Ruling Takes Same-Sex Marriage Nationwide - dailybusinessreview.com". Daily Business Review. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
External links
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