Stateline Stories

What’s Next in the Fight Over Same-Sex Marriage?

Gay marriage supporters have been on a winning streak in some states since Election Day 2012. But other states could cause that success to slow to a crawl — or even grind to a halt.

Cheers! All 50 States Embrace the Home Brew Boom

As of July 1, all 50 states will allow aspiring brewers to make their own beer at home. But states are still figuring out how to regulate the popular hobby.

Not So Fast: Tax Revenue Estimates From Legal Marijuana May Not Materialize

Proponents of legalized recreational marijuana touted millions in taxes that could be collected. But don’t count that money yet.

With Vote, Minnesota Is 12th State to Allow Gay Marriage

Minnesota becomes the 12th state to allow gay marriage and the third state to do so this month.

Delaware Votes to Legalize Gay Marriage

The Delaware legislature approved a same-sex marriage bill Tuesday, repealing the state’s ban on the unions and making it the 11th state, plus D.C., to approve gay marriage.

Rhode Island Legalizes Gay Marriage

The Rhode Island legislature gave final approval to a gay marriage bill Thursday, and Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the measure immediately after the vote.

Rhode Island Set to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage

Rhode Island’s move is another victory for pro-same-sex marriage efforts. Where do other states stand?

Fight Over Abortion Rules Could Reverberate Widely

Mississippi could be one step closer to becoming the first U.S. state without an abortion provider after a state hearing Thursday. But the legal fight over the state’s abortion law is far from over, and could have far-reaching implications for other states with similar laws.

Report: No Easy Options for Feds in Legal Marijuana States

The federal government may not have much choice but to continue its mellow attitude toward legal marijuana in Washington and Colorado.

How Federalism Could Doom DOMA, But Save State Bans

Supporters of same-sex marriage are optimistic after this week’s Supreme Court arguments, but some worry about a narrow ruling.

Justices Appear Skeptical of Defense of Marriage Act

A majority of the court seemed skeptical of whether the federal government could justify refusing to recognize state-allowed same-sex marriages.

DOMA: The Supreme Court Justices in Their Own Words

Roll over each Justice to see what they said.

Prop 8: The Supreme Court Justices on Gay Marriage in Their Own Words

Supreme Court justices heard arguments Tuesday in the first of two cases that could dramatically alter the divergent paths the states have taken on gay marriage. See their comments during the arguments by rolling your mouse over each justice.

History of Same-Sex Unions: Photos

Some are for, some are against, and now state laws on same-sex marriage have landed at the Supreme Court.

Divided Court Confronts Gay Marriage

The justices appeared split over same-sex marriage, but the outcome of the case remained unclear.

AGs Split Ahead of Gay Marriage Arguments

Gay marriage has divided the states, and as the Supreme Court takes up arguments this week, attorneys general are as divided as the public.

Backers See Momentum As 6th State Allows Same-Sex Civil Unions

Colorado becomes the latest state to allow same-sex civil unions, as marriage supporters see victories around U.S.

Colorado Governor to Sign Civil Union Law

Colorado becomes the latest state to allow same-sex civil unions, as marriage supporters see victories around U.S.

NFL Can’t Ask About Sexual Orientation, Says New York Attorney General

The NFL is in hot water with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after reportedly asking potential college recruits about their sexual orientation. But less than half the states protect employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Nullification: Old Arguments Against Feds Get New Life

States challenging Washington is not new, but Second Amendment worries have breathed new life into a movement championing a wider range of topics than ever before.

Arkansas Passes Nation’s Strictest Abortion Law

Arkansas legislature votes to override Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto, banning all abortions after 12 weeks.

How New Mexico Legalized Gay Marriage – For 8 Hours

For eight hours in 2004, same-sex marriage was legal in New Mexico. Nearly a decade later, the state is still dealing with the fallout.

Republicans Reassess Social Issue Strategy

Political pressure and last year’s elections have led Republican lawmakers to rethink their approach to controversial social questions.

Social Issues Challenge State-Federal Relationship

States have leapt ahead of Washington on key social issues, ushering in a new era of stress between the two levels of government.

Old Money, New Decisions in Oregon

Almost a decade after balancing its budget with millions of dollars earned off the massive nationwide tobacco settlement reached in 1998, Oregon lawmakers have a second chance this year to put the settlement money to different use.

Colorado Preps for Recreational Marijuana

Colorado voters amended the state’s Constitution this November to legalize recreational marijuana use. That’s left the state’s established medical marijuana community apprehensive about its future.

Supreme Court Takes Up Gay Marriage Cases

The high court has accepted two gay marriage cases for its spring term. One case, out of New York, concerns whether the federal government can deny benefits to gay couples married in states that allow same-sex marriage. It will also review California’s ban on same-sex marriage.

For the Supreme Court, Big Decisions Loom on Gay Marriage

The High Court on Friday is expected to decide whether to wade into the same-sex marriage fray. At a scheduled conference, the nine justices will likely decide which — if any — cases to take up in its fall session.

Historic Gay Marriage, Marijuana Measures Win Approval

After years of rejecting same-sex marriage at the ballot box, three states endorse it.

Infographic: Ballot Measures Gave Voters Say on Divisive Issues

Voters in 38 states will decide 174 statewide ballot measures on Election Day. Are any on your ballot?

High Court Declines Oklahoma “Personhood” Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision to block a ballot measure that would outlaw abortion in the state.

Federal Court Blocks Indiana Effort to Defund Planned Parenthood

A federal court has blocked an Indiana law that would cut off Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood because its clinics perform abortions.

Defense of Marriage Act Discriminates Against Gays, Federal Court Rules

The federal government’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages — including those considered legal in several states — is unconstitutional, a federal court has ruled.

Changing Black Attitudes Could Boost Same-Sex Marriage in Maryland

In just the last year, attitudes of black voters toward same-sex marriage have shifted. The size of that shift could decide whether same-sex couples can marry in Maryland next year.

Religious Liberty Emerges as Sensitive Political Issue

Freedom of religion is a universal American ideal, but there is growing disagreement about just what it means.

Gay Marriage Backers Lose Key Race in R.I.

Gay marriage advocates in Rhode Island suffered a tough setback on Tuesday in a Democratic primary race expected to impact the legislature’s looming debate over whether to allow same-sex couples to marry in the state.

A New Battleground in 'Right to Die' Debate

Advocates of physician-assisted suicide are taking on entrenched opposition as they seek a high-profile victory in Massachusetts.

States Back Challenge to Federal Law on Marriage

Three states say that the federal law failing to recognize same-sex marriages considered legal within their borders violates the U.S. Constitution.

Florida Poised to Elect First Openly Gay State Lawmaker

With a narrow victory in the Democratic primary, a Miami Beach CPA is set to become Florida’s first openly gay state legislator.

Pennsylvania Ends its General Assistance Program

Budget cuts force an end to Pennsylvania’s General Assistance Program

Federal Court Blocks Arizona Anti-Abortion Law

A federal appeals court on Wednesday blocked the state from enforcing a new Arizona law, which prohibits most abortions from taking place after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Do Gay Rights Affect Tourism?

Arizona’s push for U.S. Supreme Court approval of a plan to rescind same-sex benefits for state employees has some worried that tourism will take a hit.

New Anti-Abortion Strategy Pays Off

The past few months have seen a flurry of new state laws restricting abortion, most of them based on the concept of “fetal pain.”

North Dakota Voters Sidestep Controversies

On an Election Day that featured intraparty legislative races in several states, North Dakota voters shied away from several controversies over the University of North Dakota's “Fighting Sioux” nickname, protections for religious liberty and local property taxes.

Other Issues Entangle N.C. Gay Marriage Vote

Opponents are hoping that a proposed constitutional amendment will be defeated today because it could affect unmarried heterosexual couples, domestic violence cases and other seemingly unrelated legal matters. Polls show that most North Carolinians oppose gay marriage.

Primaries Set Gov Races in Wisc., N.C.

Voters Tuesday (May 8) formally picked candidates for governors' races in four states while North Carolina voters approved a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage in the state.

Infographic: A Turning Point for Gay Marriage?

Gay marriage supporters have won big victories in state courts and state capitals in recent years. Now, they’re hoping to extend that success to the ballot box.

Social Debates Rage in State Legislatures

Abortion, gay marriage, sex education, gun control: 2012 so far has seen plenty of partisan clashes over social policy, with more fireworks to come.

Same-Sex Marriage Remains Law in New Hampshire

TODAY'S TAKE: An effort to repeal a 2009 law legalizing gay marriage in New Hampshire failed on Wednesday (March 21), with state representatives defeating the measure in a lopsided vote.

Business Playing Key Role in Drive for Gay Marriage

Corporations worried about their ability to recruit a high-skill workforce to their states are gradually coming to side with the same-sex marriage movement.

Best of #StateReads: Illinois' Busy Fundraising Circuit

This week's extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Perry Says State Will Maintain Women's Services

TODAY'S TAKE: Texas Governor Rick Perry told the President Obama that the state will find its own money to pay for women's health services if federal funding is cut off in a dispute over Planned Parenthood.

Abortion Ultrasound Debate Intensifies

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: The debate in Virginia whether to require every woman seeking an abortion get an ultrasound is flaring up in a half dozen other statehouses.

'Political Earthquake' in Washington State

TODAY'S TAKE: Republicans who are used to being the minority in the Washington Legislature are suddenly major players in state budget negotiations, scoring a victory that The Seattle Times calls "a political earthquake not seen in 25 years."

Republicans Sue Over Contraception

TODAY'S TAKE: Seven Republican attorneys general are suing the Obama administration over a rule requiring religious-affiliated organizations to make birth control coverage available for employees.

Gay Marriage Appears Set to Pass in Washington State

TODAY'S TAKE: Majorities in both houses of the Washington Legislature have endorsed gay marriage, but the final decision likely will rest with the state's voters.

Gay Marriage Question to Appear on 2012 Ballots

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: Voters in at least four states could be asked to weigh in on the issue of same-sex marriage in the general elections this year.

State Senate Election in Iowa Offers Clash of Gay Marriage Sentiments

A Republican victory in one Iowa Senate district would lead to a change in control that could imperil the legality of same-sex marriage. But gay marriage opponents would still face a long series of hurdles.

Mississippi to Put Abortion in Election Spotlight

Mississippi voters will pick up where state lawmakers left off this year as they consider a ballot measure that would essentially outlaw abortion.

Texas Governor Defends New York's Right to Pass Gay Marriage Law

TODAY'S TAKE: Hundreds of same-sex couples got married in New York State on Sunday, when a law legalizing the unions took effect. Just days earlier, Texas Governor Rick Perry, a conservative who may pursue the Republican presidential nomination, backed New York's right to pass the law, saying "that's their business."

Abortion Laws Blocked in Indiana, Kansas and South Dakota

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: States enacted a record number of restrictions on abortion this year, but some of the most-closely watched new laws are on hold until the courts determine if they are legal.

Gay Marriage Vote Nears in New York

TODAY'S TAKE: A few Republican state senators in New York control the fate of legislation that would legalize gay marriage in the third-largest state. A vote is expected later this week.

In an Era of One-Party Rule, Republicans Pass a Sweeping State Agenda

Republicans held enormous political leverage in state legislatures this year. They used it to shrink spending, take on labor unions and push long-stalled social legislation in one of the most eventful legislative years in memory.Part one of a weeklong series.

Welfare Rolls Up, Benefits Down in Some States

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: Some states are scaling back welfare benefits just as more of their residents are seeking them, a new report says.

Delaware Set to Approve Medical Marijuana

TODAY'S TAKE: Delaware soon will become the 16th state to authorize medical marijuana, despite a recent warning from the federal government that everyone from licensed growers to state regulators in those states could face legal action.

Planned Parenthood Fight Shifts to States

TODAY'S TAKE: Governor Mitch Daniels will decide within the next week whether Indiana will become the first state to cut off all government funding for Planned Parenthood. Kansas could approve a similar measure soon.

Foreclosure Aid Program Gets Underway in Florida

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: Florida rolls out a program to help homeowners avoid foreclosure … A GOP plan to turn food stamps into a block grant gets mixed reviews … Texas experiences a child boom, and other social policy news.

Gay Rights Supporters Cheer Victories

TODAY'S TAKE: Hawaii legalized civil unions, Maryland took a major step toward allowing gay marriage and the Obama administration announced it would no longer support the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Social Programs Could Get Axed

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: Deep cuts to programs that serve the poor or disabled are on the table in California, Iowa, Massachusetts and Washington … States will have to start paying interest on the billions they borrowed from the federal government to continue paying out unemployment benefits … The shooting in Tucson renews debate about state mental health services, and other social policy news.

Justice Department Ups Ante on California Marijuana Vote

TODAY'S TAKE: The U.S. Justice Department's announcement Friday (Oct. 15) that it would enforce federal anti-marijuana laws in California -- even if voters there legalize the drug next month -- could ensure even more tension between state and federal laws over the substance.

Fiscal, Not Social Issues, Draw Ballot Attention

It's not abortion and gay marriage that citizens will be voting on at the polls this year. It's taxes and spending.

Will Gay Marriage Decision Cost Iowa Justices Their Jobs?

Judicial elections have a long history of being expensive and combative affairs in states that hold head-to-head races. Iowa is not one of them. It appoints its judges. That's what makes a political battle over three state Supreme Court seats this year so unusual.

State Officials Step Aside for Prop. 8's Demise

Same-sex couples in California may be able to marry again as soon as Aug. 18, following a ruling from U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker on Thursday. Supporters of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriages, want to block the order, but their task may be complicated by the actions of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown.

Will Gay Marriage Return to Campaign Trail?

TODAY'S TAKE: A federal judge will rule Wednesday (Aug. 4) whether California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage violates the federal constitution. The decision is the first step in a legal battle that is likely to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Will it also find its way into state and federal electoral campaigns the way Arizona's new immigration law has?

States Try New Tactics to Restrict Abortion

State legislatures across the country this year enacted groundbreaking abortion laws prodded, in large part, by national health care reform. Some of the new laws will dramatically change the circumstances women face when trying to end their pregnancies and at least one could lead to a challenge of Roe v. Wade.

High Court's Ruling Could Make Ballot Petitions Public

TODAY'S TAKE: A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court could make it easier for the public to see the names of people who sign ballot petitions. The case stemmed from a hard-fought ballot initiative that eventually upheld Washington's domestic partner benefits law.

California Judge to Decide Fate of Proposition 8

TODAY'S TAKE: Lawyers gave their closing arguments Wednesday (June 16) in a California case to decide whether the U.S. Constitution guarantees a right for gay couples to marry. The case, which many observers predict could land before the U.S. Supreme Court, is now in the hands of a federal judge, who had some tough questions on the trial's final day.

Medical Marijuana Returns to Ballot

TODAY'S TAKE: Arizona soon could join 14 other states and legalize medical marijuana. With more than 250,000 signatures, a ballot question to authorize use of the drug for medical purposes on Tuesday became the first to qualify for the state's November ballot. The initiative continues what has been a busy year for marijuana-related policy in the states.

Charlie Crist vs. GOP

TODAY'S TAKE: The stream of headlines coming out of Florida in recent weeks has catalogued a growing divide between Governor Charlie Crist and the state Republicans he once led. Crist, who is running for the U.S. Senate as an independent after struggling in Florida's Republican primary, has infuriated his former GOP colleagues on a range of state policies.

Abortion Returns to Center Stage

TODAY'S TAKE: The Florida Senate on Thursday (April 29) put the state budget, a property-insurance overhaul, an energy bill and other end-of-session legislation on hold while it debated imposing tough new abortion rules. If approved, the bill would become at least the third state measure in recent weeks to impose strict new regulations on women who seek abortions. Nebraska and Oklahoma passed abortion-related laws earlier this month.

24 States Now Ban Texting While Driving

TODAY'S TAKE: Michigan on Wednesday (April 28) became the 23rd state to ban texting while driving, while two other states, Kentucky and Nebraska, approved similar bans earlier this month. Legislation in the states - which have a patchwork of rules concerning the use of phones while driving - could heighten pressure on Congress to come up with a national standard.

Nebraska Set to Extend Bars' Closing Time

TODAY'S TAKE: Under a bill awaiting the governor's signature, Nebraska is set to join most other states by allowing bars to stay open until 2 a.m., an hour later than is now the case. Only a small number of states, including Delaware, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Utah, retain a 1 a.m. closing time. Nevada, on the other hand, allows its residents to drink whenever they want.

The Ever-growing Sex Offender Registry

Under separate state Supreme Court decisions issued days apart in Georgia and Wisconsin last month, two men who did not commit sex crimes must register as sex offenders. Their offense - a crime known as "false imprisonment" - was deemed to warrant inclusion on public registries even if there was nothing sexual about it.The cases reflect a growing debate in the courts and in legislatures. As states crack down on sex offenders, including less serious and even non-sex offenders in online registries, does the value of such registries diminish?

Oregon Could Join California on Pot Vote

TODAY'S TAKE: California has attracted national attention for a November ballot measure that, if approved by voters, would legalize and tax marijuana. California's northern neighbor, Oregon, may have a similar measure on its ballot. The Oregon secretary of state's office has certified a petition drive that would decriminalize pot if its supporters gather enough signatures - and votes.

The Great Recession of '74, '82, '92 and '07

Popular culture has unofficially adopted the term "Great Recession" to refer to the economic downturn of the past few years. It is the same title given to past recessions, suggesting a need to hold off and leave the naming to later observers with a little more perspective.

Weekly Wrap: New Year Brings New Laws

New state laws that take effect across the country on New Year's Day range from affecting the way residents drive to whether they can marry or profit from snapping a celebrity's photograph. (See also:US: State lawmakers, lacking money, took up bad-behavior bans in '09 and US: New 2010 laws -- Cooking to texting)

Scandals, Social Issues Headline 2009 Governors Races

In the first statewide elections since the Great Recession was declared, economic issues are competing with ethics and social issues for voters' attention in New Jersey and Virginia - the only gubernatorial contests this year.

Budgets Overshadow Social, Political Highlights

The national economy may have dominated the 2009 state legislative session, but history was also made both politically and on the social policy front. Stateline.org continues to explore the biggest trends in statehouses this year, turning a spotlight on the social and political developments that mark 2009.

Bill Seeks to Bolster State Hate Crimes Prosecutions

(Updated 10 a.m. EDT, May 28, 2009)A bill awaiting U.S. Senate action after passing the House of Representatives seeks to bolster hate crimes prosecutions at the state level, but critics say it raises constitutional issues.

Gay Marriage Legal in Six States

(Updated 4:40 p.m. EDT, June 4, 2009) With the exception of Rhode Island, same-sex marriage is now legal throughout New England, and neighboring New York could be next. On June 3, New Hampshire became the sixth state, including Iowa, to legalize gay nuptials. But despite these gains by the gay rights movement, the United States is still a nation divided over whether to redefine marriage. In this comprehensive backgrounder, Stateline.org maps the state of play in all 50 states, including charts, a historic timeline, and coverage of landmark court decisions, voter referendums, state legislation and federal and international laws.

Social Issues Compete With Fiscal Policy

At a time when states are weathering the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, lawmakers also are taking up a sweeping assortment of social policy questions, ranging from gay marriage to the death penalty to abortion.

States Applaud New Stem Cell Funding

President Obama's March 9 move to allow federal funding for stem-cell research is expected to greatly benefit states such as California that already have invested in the controversial science. But the decision - which lifts an eight-year-old ban by the Bush administration - will give nearly all states a shot at job-creating new grants in the multi-billion-dollar emerging biomedical field.

AGs Optimistic on Better State-Fed Relations

State attorneys general, who this month attended their first meeting with new U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, say they are hopeful they can forge better relations with Washington, D.C., on environmental protection, sex offender policy and other subjects that became state-federal battlegrounds during the Bush administration.

Ala. Seeks Civil Rights Tourism, Racial Accord

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - As Americans send the country's first black president to the White House, a growing tourism program in Alabama embraces the state's role in the civil rights struggle and salutes the heroes who helped pave the way for Barack Obama's Election Day victory.

3 States, Including California, Ban Gay Marriage

Measures on gay marriage, abortion, affirmative action, stem cell research and physician assisted suicide were among 153 initiatives on the 2008 ballot in 36 states.

Panoply of Ballot Measures Awaits Voters

(Updated 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 3, 2008)Without a single, dominant issue to rally partisans nationally, the 153 initiatives on state ballots this year run the gamut from abolishing the income tax in Massachusetts to legalizing doctor-assisted suicide in Washington state.

Gay Marriage on the Ballot in 4 States

Click here for Stateline.org's rundown of major issues on this year's ballot. (opens PDF) (Updated 11:21 a.m. EDT, Oct. 22, 2008)In the wake of Connecticut's Oct. 10 high court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, voters in three states will decide in November whether to roll back or prevent a similar ruling by defining marriage in their state constitutions as a union between a man and a woman. In Connecticut, a ballot proposal to rewrite the state charter has become a platform to reverse the high court's ruling.

Voters Could Relax Marijuana Penalties

Also see: • A comprehensive list of state elections• A printable PDF of major ballot issues Ballot questions next month will give voters in California, Massachusetts and Michigan a chance to revisit their states' policies on marijuana. If approved, the measures are likely to exacerbate tensions between states and the federal government over the drug.

Abortion Foes Give Palin Nod, Attack Obama

The gloves are off in the presidential campaign fight over the abortion issue.

Nebraska Enacts Unique Safe Haven Law

Nebraska this year became the last state in the nation to pass a "safe haven" law designed to protect unwanted infants by allowing parents to legally surrender them at a hospital. But the law has an unusual twist.