Md. court must hear same-sex divorce case 
Published: May 22, 2012
Tags: comity, same-sex marriage
A state court should have heard a complaint for divorce filed by a woman who entered into a same-sex marriage in another state, Maryland’s highest court has ruled in reversing judgment.
Parent’s years of residency not imputed to alien child 
Published: May 21, 2012
Tags: Board of Immigration Appeals, immigration, imputation, Supreme Court
The Board of Immigration Appeals’ determination that a parent’s years of residency are not imputed to a child is a permissible construction of federal law, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled.
Posthumously conceived kids not entitled to benefits 
Published: May 21, 2012
Tags: in vitro fertilization, Social Security benefits, Supreme Court
The Social Security Administration reasonably interpreted federal law in determining that only children supported by a deceased wage earner in his or her lifetime are entitled to Social Security benefits, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled.
Community property includes military service credit 
Published: May 18, 2012
Tags: community property, divorce
Military service credit that a husband purchased during his marriage constituted community property subject to division when he divorced, the California Court of Appeal has ruled in reversing judgment.
Benchmarks: Photocopy of military POA not good enough 
Published: May 18, 2012
Tags: military power of attorney, §1983
A military power of attorney is a critical document for managing affairs on the home front when a spouse is deployed overseas. A Kentucky military family had to learn the hard way that only having a photocopy of that document can stop a real estate transaction dead in its tracks.
Ex-spouse’s disability pay counts for income tax purposes 
Published: May 16, 2012
Tags: disability pay, divorce, taxation
A divorced taxpayer was required to report as income her share of her former husband’s disability pay, the U.S. Tax Court has ruled in upholding a $3,587 deficiency assessment.
Noncompete can be ordered in divorce 
Published: May 11, 2012
Tags: divorce, noncompete, property division
A state court had the authority to order a wife not to operate a competing business when it awarded the husband the family business in their divorce, the Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled in reversing judgment.
Subchapter S distribution didn’t affect child support 
Published: May 10, 2012
Tags: child support
A distribution that a divorced wife received from her Subchapter S corporation for investment in another business did not affect the amount of her former husband’s child support payments, the Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled in reversing judgment.
Obama voices support for same-sex marriage 
Published: May 10, 2012
Tags: gay marriage, Obama, same-sex marriage, Supreme Court
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said he believes same-sex couples should be able to marry, becoming the first U.S. president to publicly endorse gay marriage.
Previously, Obama voiced support only for same-sex civil unions.
Genetic mother entitled to declaration of maternity 
Published: May 9, 2012
Tags: gestational carrier, in vitro fertilization
State courts had the authority to declare the maternity of a woman whose genetic child was conceived through in vitro fertilization and carried and delivered by a gestational carrier, Maine’s highest court has ruled in reversing judgment.
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