Supreme Court petitioned: Partner benefits law provokes legal wrangling

Multiple groups petitioned the state Supreme Court Tuesday regarding a lawsuit attempting to strike down Wisconsin’s domestic-partner benefits law.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal, a Chicago-based civil rights organization, seek to defend the law, passed as part of Gov. Jim Doyle’s 2009-’11 biennial budget.

“There are almost 15,000 same-sex couples and their families living in Wisconsin who need the basic protections provided by domestic partnerships,” Christopher Clark, senior staff attorney for Lambda Legal, said in a statement. “We plan to vigorously defend the important legal protections that the legislature validly enacted to protect Wisconsin citizens.”

Wisconsin Family Action, a conservative advocacy group, filed an original action suit with the Supreme Court in July. The group aims to overturn the domestic-partnership law they say violates the 2006 Wisconsin constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

“The legal status that has been created by the registry is unconstitutional,” Julaine Appling, president of WFA, said. “Nearly 60 percent of the voters in November 2006 said marriage in this state is between a man and a woman and that a legal status identical to or substantially similar to that of marriage would not be valid or recognized in this state.”

Under current law, same-sex couples are eligible for 43 out of over 200 benefits reserved for legally married couples. The majority of benefits available to domestic partners include benefits related to health care issues, according to a statement from Lambda Legal.

The Daily Cardinal - Partner benefits law provokes legal wrangling