Governor David Paterson must be a follower of this blog.
I have written several times in the recent past about decisions in which the courts have recognized the validity of same sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
Now, the Governor has issued an directive requiring all New York State agencies to offer gay couples, wed in jurisdictions that allow same sex marriage (like Canada, Massachusetts and now California), the same legal rights as enjoyed by heterosexual couples.
According to the New York Times, “The revisions are most likely to involve as many as 1,300 statutes and regulations in New York governing everything from joint filing of income tax returns to transferring fishing licenses between spouses. “
“In addition to conferring more rights on gay couples, the changes might also require more responsibilities. For example, the order that required certain employees of the executive branch to file financial disclosure documents for their spouses would also apply to gay spouses.”
There does seem to be a bit of a contradiction in that New York will not permit same sex couples to marry, but it will recognize the validity gay marriages performed beyond its borders.
