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A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a mean to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage (with child adoption being a common exception).
The term is not used consistently, which results in some inter-jurisdictional confusion. Some jurisdictions, such as Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. states of California, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington use the term "domestic partnership" to mean what other jurisdictions call civil union, civil partnership, or registered partnership ...
A civil union may be contracted under the act by a same-sex or opposite-sex couple, and they may choose to form it either as a marriage or as a civil partnership. Whichever name is chosen, the legal consequences of a civil union are the same as those of a marriage under the Marriage Act. Any reference to marriage in any law is deemed to include ...
A civil union is a legal union that joins two people together and provides the same legal protections as a marriage -- but only at the state level. When it comes to civil unions, not all of them...
As understood in the United States, a civil union is a legally recognized status almost identical to marriage, whereas domestic partnership often connotes a lesser status that may or may not be recognized by local law. However, the terminology is still evolving; the exact level of rights and responsibilities of domestic partnership depends on ...
The law of divorce for civil partnerships is the same as that for marriage. The Civil Union Act makes no explicit provisions for the recognition of foreign unions. Based on the principle of lex loci celebrationis, a foreign marriage (including a same-sex marriage) is recognised as a marriage in South African law. However, the status of foreign ...
Many counties and municipalities outside of these states also provide domestic partnership registries or civil unions which are not officially recognized by the laws of their states, are only valid and applicable within those counties, and are usually largely unaffected by state law regarding relationship recognition (except in some aspects).
Civil unions continue not to provide federal benefits. After same-sex marriage became legal in Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Delaware, those states ceased to offer civil unions. As of 2024, civil unions are still offered in Hawaii, [4] Illinois, [5] New Jersey, [6] and Colorado; [7] as well as in several Arizona towns. [8]