Divorce, Legal Issues in

The second decade of the 21st century has witnessed extensive changes on the marriage equality front. As of July 2015, same-sex marriage is available nationwide. By contrast, just over 2 years earlier, in January 2013, only 10 states and the District of Columbia permitted same-sex couples to marry. A handful of states also allow same-sex couples (and sometimes some or all different-sex couples) to enter into other legally recognized relationships, such as domestic partnerships and civil unions.

This entry addresses the legal issues that arise for same-sex couples in connection with divorce or dissolution, including jurisdictional issues that previously restricted access to divorce for some same-sex couples and issues related to dissolution of civil unions and domestic partnerships that may continue to exist.

Studies find that the ...