is recognized in some states (see
http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/
table_marriage for information on your
state).Common-lawmarriageisamutual
agreementmadebyacohabitingcoupleto
presentthemselvesasamarriedcouple.The
stateswhichlegallyrecognizethese
arrangementsasmarriagesdosoafterthe
couplecohabitsforacertainnumberof
years.Thenumberofyearsrequiredforthe
recognitionofcommon-lawmarriagevaries
fromstatetostate.Partnersinacommon-
lawmarriagemayinheritfromoneanother
orreceivealimonywhentheypart.Insome
statesthepartnersarerequiredtogothrough
alegaldivorceifchildrenareinvolved.
Common-law marriages in the United
States have their roots in pioneer history,
when few officials were available to make
marriages“legal.”(In the days of slavery,
for example,when officials were
unavailable,slaves would“jump the
broom,”signifying the union of a man and
woman.)
Same-Sex Unions.Fewissuesgenerateas
muchheateddiscussionassame-sexunions.
IthasevenpolarizedChristian
denominations.Same-sexunionsarehotly
debatedinstatelegislaturesacrosstheUnited
States.Atthetimeofthisbook’spublication,
thestatesofMassachusetts,Connecticut,
Maine,California,IowaandVermonthave
legalizedsame-sexmarriage.Severalother
statesprovidedomesticpartnerbenefitsin
someform:NewYork,RhodeIsland,New
Mexico,Connecticut,NewJersey,Oregon,
NewHampshire,Hawaii,Maine,
Washington,Vermont,California,Montana,
Illinois,Alaska,andtheDistrictofColumbia.
Thelegaldiscussionofsame-sexunionswill
likelycontinueforseveralyears.
For morethan 200years,marriagein
thiscountry hasbeen understoodtobea
union between oneman andonewoman.
However,fewfederallawsactually define
marriageor mandatetheconditionsunder
which it iscreatedanddissolved.In 1996,
CongresspassedtheDefenseof Marriage
Act (DOMA),which stipulatesthat for the
purposesof federallaw,marriageisa
union between oneman andonewoman.
Further,statesarenot requiredto
recognizeany act“respectinga relationship
between personsof thesamesextreatedas
a marriageunder thelawsof any other
state.”DOMA hasbeen challenged
repeatedly,although todateit has
successfully weatheredthesechallenges
(Winn,2006).
Individualstateshavealsoexperienced
difficulty in passingtheir own marriage
protection amendments.At stakein these
court battlesisthefundamentaldefinition
of marriage.Christiansandother pro-
family groupswhowish todefinemarriage
astheunion between oneman andone
woman areworkingtoinstitutea federal
marriageprotection amendment (FMA).
Their primary concern istoprotect state
marriagelawsfrom judicialintervention.
For example,on May 12,2005,a Nebraska
federaldistrict court judgestruck downWhy Marriage and Family?