Employee Benefits Issues in California Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Same-Sex Marriage Decisions
Polsinelli Podcast - Defense of Marriage Act
Supreme Court’s Rulings On Same-Sex Marriage Spark Many Questions On Employee Benefits
Viewer's Guide to Gay Marriage Oral Arguments
As has become its custom, the Supreme Court left one of its most high-profile decisions for the end of its term, holding by a 5-4 vote that the Constitution requires states to recognize same-sex marriages. As a result, state...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a notice of proposed rulemaking on June 27, 2014, announcing a proposal that would expand the definition of “spouse” under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to include all...more
President Obama plans to announce today a proposed rule that would allow an employee to take FMLA leave to care for a same-sex spouse, regardless of whether the employee lives in a state that recognizes their marital status. ...more
Following a highly-publicized U.S. Supreme Court decision and subsequent guidance from both the Labor Department (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), employers need to rethink how they treat same-sex spouses under...more
Here's something that should be at the top of your to do list on this Monday morning: make sure your benefits and other employee policies are in compliance with new guidance from the IRS that becomes effective today relating...more
After the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision regarding same-sex marriages in United States v. Windsor this summer, a number of governmental agencies charged with administering employment laws have issued explanations...more
Earlier this month, we blogged that it was “Time for Employers to Review Their Family Medical Leave Act Policies Following the Supreme Court’s Decision to Strike Down DOMA.”....more
In the wake of the Supreme Court's Windsor decision, employers should review and, if necessary, revise their FMLA policies and procedures to ensure compliance. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently clarified that...more
As almost everyone knows, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two blockbuster decisions on gay marriage, U.S. v. Windsor, which struck down the Defense of Marriage Act's ("DOMA") definition of marriage for the purposes of federal...more
The U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") announced that, as of August 9, 2013, it had updated guidance documents to remove references to the Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA") in order to affirm the availability of spousal leave...more
On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the Defense of Marriage Act’s (DOMA) provision defining marriage as between one man and one woman....more
On August 9, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued regulatory guidance confirming that same-sex married couples are entitled to the same benefits of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) as heterosexual married couples...more
In light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in United States v. Windsor, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has just issued updated guidance for employers concerning the rights of same-sex spouses under the Family and...more
Same-sex married couples now are eligible for the spousal leave provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), according to Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez. This pronouncement comes in light of the Supreme Court’s...more
As reported in the Wall Street Journal (“U.S. Extends Family Leave to Same-Sex Couples,” August 9, 2013, by Melanie Trottman and Kris Maher) and Employment Law 360 (“Labor Dept. Extends FMLA Coverage To Same-Sex Spouses,”...more
In U.S. v. Windsor, the court struck down a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) as unconstitutional. DOMA, for purposes of federal tax and benefits laws, defined marriage as only between “one man and one...more
In Windsor v. United States, No. 12-307 (June 26, 2013), the Supreme Court ruled that the section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that required federal laws to ignore same-sex marriages that are legally entered into...more
On June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that will affect virtually all employers across the country. In United States v. Windsor, the Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Section 3 of the federal Defense of...more
On June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal law that defined "marriage" as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and "spouse" as a person of the opposite sex who is a...more