Dallas Judge on Gay Divorce Ruling

Matthew Breen

Advocate.com

While gay marriage continues to be a matter of heated debate, the question of gay divorce raises complex legal questions. A Dallas judge speaks out on her ruling that could pave the way to overturning Texas's anti-gay-marriage constitutional amendment.

On October 1, Judge Tena Callahan ruled that a same-sex couple, married in 2006 in Massachusetts but now living in Texas, should have their application for divorce granted by the state of Texas. The former partners could not be granted a divorce in Massachusetts due to that state’s residency requirement. Her ruling found that the marriage ban violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Callahan’s ruling made national headlines, but the judge had been silent about her ruling until an October 20 meeting of the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, the largest North Texas-based LGBT political group.

Source: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/27/Dallas_Judge_on_Historic_Gay_Divorce_Ruling/