UPDATED: Friday, December 21, 2012 --- 9:15 a.m.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A state appeals court has ruled Wisconsin's domestic partner registry is constitutional.
The 4th District Court of Appeals said in an opinion released Friday that the domestic partnership law does not violate the marriage amendment.
Democratic lawmakers created the registry in 2009. It grants same-sex couples a host of legal rights, including the right to visit each other in hospitals and make end-of-life decisions for one another.
Members of the Conservative Group Wisconsin Family Action filed a lawsuit two years ago alleging the registry violates the Wisconsin Constitution's ban on gay marriage. A Madison judge ruled last year the registry was legal.
Copyright 2012: Associated Press
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POSTED: Thursday, December 20, 2012 --- 4:40 a.m.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A state appeals court is expected to rule on whether Wisconsin's domestic partnership registry violates the state constitution's ban on gay marriage.
The registry was created under a 2009 law. It grants same-sex couples a host of legal rights such as the rights to visit each other in hospitals and make end-of-life decisions.
The conservative group Wisconsin Family Action has challenged the registry, saying it violates the Wisconsin Constitution's ban on gay marriage. A Madison judge ruled last year the registry was constitutional.
Wisconsin Family Action appealed and the 4th District Court of Appeals sent the case directly to the state Supreme Court, but the high court refused to hear it and kicked it back to the appellate court.
The court is scheduled to release its opinion Thursday morning.
Copyright 2012: Associated Press
