Whether or not you are among those cheering last week’s Supreme Court decision recognizing Constitutional protection for same sex marriage, there is no denying that it has changed state of the law in the United States in a big way.
The Other Side of the Marriage Coin
While most of the attention from the ruling has been on the right to get married, there is, of course, another side to the coin that’s just as important, legally speaking. When you have the right to marry, you have the right to divorce. Last week’s decision was good news for many gay and lesbian couples in Nebraska and across the country – those looking to get married and those looking to get divorced.
Before last week’s decision, the patchwork of state laws on same sex marriage left Nebraska same sex couples who married in another state in legal limbo. They couldn’t get a divorce because Nebraska didn’t recognize their marriage in the first place. If you weren’t married in the eyes of the law, there was no marriage to dissolve with a divorce proceeding. You were stuck.
Pack your Bags and Settle in
Until last week, for Nebraska same sex couples to get a divorce, one spouse had to move to a state recognizing same sex marriage and establish residency before being allowed to file for divorce. Most states’ residency requirement is six months to one year.
For many, that sort of relocation flexibility isn’t possible, so they were stuck in a world of uncertainty regarding their rights and obligations – including the right to inherit, the right to sell property and the right to utilize income from that property.
Leaving Legal Limbo
Now, not only can same sex couples in Nebraska go to their county clerk’s office for a marriage license, they can go to the court clerk and file their divorce petition. For many this is going to be a huge relief.
The Supreme Court has held that a marriage is a marriage. That means the same laws that apply to opposite sex divorce in Nebraska now apply to same sex divorce. If a marriage is a marriage, a divorce is a divorce.
If you need help with a Nebraska divorce, the confident, clear, committed attorneys at Hightower Reff Law are here to help. Contact us online or call us at 402-932-9550.
