JURIST - Paper Chase: Massachusetts OKs same-sex marriage licenses for New Mexico residents

[JURIST] City and town clerks in Massachusetts may issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples from New Mexico, according to recent instructions from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records [official website]. A July 18 internal notice to municipal employees said that because the New Mexico government has not explicitly banned same-sex marriage [JURIST new archive], Massachusetts may issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples from that state. Residents of New Mexico and Rhode Island are the only non-Massachusetts residents who currently can marry in Massachusetts, but neither state has confirmed that it will recognize all Massachusetts-issued same-sex marriage licenses. In February, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch [official website] said Rhode Island would recognize [JURIST report] the same-sex marriages of state employees performed in Massachusetts. Massachusetts is the only state which allows same-sex marriage. AP has more.

In 2003, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage [Globe timeline] with the state high court's decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health [text; JURIST report]. More than 8,500 same-sex couples have been married in Massachusetts since May 2004. In June, Massachusetts lawmakers voted against [JURIST report] allowing a statewide vote on a proposed constitutional amendment [text] defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

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