Two lawyers speaking at an event at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum discussed the potential fate of the gay marriage ban in Texas, which was recently struck down by a federal judge. The controversial ruling came as a surprise to many in Texas and is currently not being enforced as appeals continue.

During the panel the experts on same-sex marriage laws said that they believed the ruling would eventually stand and that same-sex marriage will eventually become legal in the state of Texas. This issue would impact many areas of life and family law in the state, as illustrated by the process of same-sex marriage recognition in other states and on the federal level.

In Texas if same-sex marriage were recognized by the state it would impact adoptions, child custody, and divorces. Anyone familiar with family law understands that these legal concepts are among the most personal aspects of our lives regulated by the law and that the views of a court on a child custody arrangement, for example, can have a major impact on a family and how they proceed after the end of the relationship. There are also the widely publicized tax benefits for married couples that many Texas residents are seeking to benefit from.

The debate on this issue is far from over as many legal experts believe the Texas case may very well go all the way to the United States Supreme Court for a decision that impacts family laws around the entire nation.

Source: Dallas Morning News, “LBJ summit panelists mull whether same sex marriage is a civil right,” Robert T. Garrett, April 8, 2014. 

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