State of Hawaii Circuit Court judge, Karl Sakamoto, ruled that the new marriage equality law is legal, denying a temporary restraining order that was requested by opponents of gay-marriage in Hawaii. According to Sakamoto, the state Legislature has the inherent authority to define marriage independently of a 1998 constitutional amendment that gave lawmakers the power to reserve marriage for heterosexual couples. Sakamoto also noted that the U.S. Supreme Court's ruled in June 2013 that legally married gay couples are entitled to federal benefits but that individual states can decide whether to approve gay marriage. Sakamoto stated, "After all the legal complexity of the court's analysis, the court will conclude that same-sex marriage in Hawaii is legal."
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 11-15-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
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