Legal battles about marriage

States where same-sex marriage is available

Massachusetts (May 2004 — by state's Supreme Court)

New Hampshire (January 2008 — by state Legislature)

Connecticut (October 2008 — by state's Supreme Court)

Iowa (April 2009 — by state's Supreme Court)

Vermont (September 2009 — by state Legislature)

States where legalized same-sex marriage has been repealed by public vote

California (legalized in May 2008 by state Supreme Court ruling; repealed in November 2008)

Maine (legalized by state Legislature in May 2009; was to go into effect in September 2009; repealed in November 2009)

States where civil unions are allowed

Vermont (2000) *

Connecticut (2005) *

New Jersey (2007)

New Hampshire (2007) *

Notes:

- Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire have since legalized same-sex marriage.

- In Vermont, civil unions are no longer available as of Sept. 1, but previous civil unions will remain valid.

- In Connecticut, civil unions will cease as of Oct. 1, 2010, with all existing unions being converted to marriages.

- In New Hampshire, where same-sex marriages will be allowed at the start of 2010, all civil unions will be merged into marriage by January 2011.

States where domestic partnerships provide all or some state-level spousal benefits

Hawaii (1997)

California (1999)

District of Columbia (2002)

Maine (2004)

Washington (2007)

Maryland (2008)

Oregon (2008)

Colorado (2009)

Nevada (2009)

Wisconsin (2009)

States where statutes — including those with Defense of Marriage Act language — define marriage as between a man and a woman

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin