Divorce Becomes Legal in Maryland Before Marriage

[William769]

It's not yet legal to get married in Maryland, but an appeals court ruled today that same-sex couples can already get divorced.

Maryland's Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that any Marylander legally wed in another state can get divorced in their home state.

The case centers on Jessica Port and Virginia Cowan, who were married in California in 2008 during the brief period when it was legal. Two years later they sought a divorce in their home state of Maryland and were denied.

Maryland lawmakers took divorce into account when they approved marriage equality, and divorces of same-sex couples would have become legal anyway when the bill becomes law in January. But there was a chance the court's ruling could still be needed.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2012/05/18/divorce-becomes-legal-maryland-marriage

[zbdent]

1. That should be unconstitutional because

they'd have to recognize the marriage as legal before they could recognize it to make the divorce happen ...

So, how do you take $$$ for something that "doesn't exist"?

[Orangepeel]

2. Maryland does recognize out of state marriages, as much as DOMA allows.

Not everyone can get married in Maryland yet, but for a few years, the state has recognized all marriages from out of state.