A Sign of Inequality

This may be a bit of good news in the fight for marriage equality. A judge in California has ordered that a man must continue to pay alimony to his ex-wife, even though she has entered into a legal domestic partnership with another woman (and even took her new spouse's last name). This indicates domestic partnerships are not equivalent to marriage, which seems to be what the California Supreme Court is attempting to determine. If the two legal relationships are seen as equal in rights and responsibilities, the court could conclude there is no need to open marriage to same-sex couples. But since they are not equal (at least in terms of alimony, in this judge's opinion), the court may be more willing to order civil marriage be opened to all couples.