Same-sex divorce ruled out by court
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A lesbian couple that married in Massachusetts cannot get divorced in their home state of Rhode Island, the state Supreme Court ruled in Providence.
The court, in a 3-2 decision, said the state’s family court lacks the authority to grant the divorce of a same-sex couple because lawmakers have not defined marriage as anything other than a union between a man and a woman.
“The role of the judicial branch is not to make policy, but simply to determine the legislative intent,” the court wrote.
Cassandra Ormiston and Margaret Chambers wed in Massachusetts in 2004 and filed for divorce last year in Rhode Island, where they both live.
No law specifically bans same-sex marriages in Rhode Island, but the state has taken no action to recognize them.
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