case law
Think Second Parent Adoptions Are A Thing Of the Past? Think Again. Conover v. Conover.
Yesterday, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals released its latest opinion on third party custody rights in Conover v. Conover. This case involved a lesbian couple. One of the couple, the biological parent, was inseminated and carried the child and the other woman, the non-biological parent, held herself out as the parent to the child,…
Read MoreAfter The Supreme Court Opinion, Do My Spouse And I Still Have To Do A Second-Parent Adoption?
Are you wondering whether a second parent adoption is still necessary after the Supreme Court’s recent opinion on same-sex marriage? In short, yes it is. While Obergefell was a giant stride for same-sex folks, it is important not to conflate marriage rights with parentage rights. The same parentage issues that used to be present for…
Read MoreThe Supreme Court On Same-Sex Marriage: The Practical Impact of Obergefell v. Hodges
Today, making way for same-sex marriage, the Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Obergefell v. Hodges. The opinion gives same-sex couples the same rights as their different-sex counterparts. The issues as framed by Justice Kennedy (writing for the majority) were (1) whether the Fourteenth Amendment requires a State to issue marriage licenses to two people…
Read More