Law
New Mexico Statutes §40-1 and §40-4 define marriage and the validity of out-of-state marriages:
- "Marriage is contemplated by the law as a civil contract, for which the consent of the contracting parties, capable in law of contracting, is essential."
- "All marriages celebrated beyond the limits of this state, which are valid according to the laws of the country wherein they were celebrated or contracted, shall be likewise valid in this state, and shall have the same force as if they had been celebrated in accordance with the laws in force in this state."
The advocacy group Freedom to Marry summarized the legal situation as of early 2011 this way:
Because New Mexico’s laws do not prohibit marriage between same-sex couples, there is no impediment to New Mexico same-sex couples marrying in Massachusetts (or other jurisdictions that allow same-sex marriages) and having their marriage honored in New Mexico. While Massachusetts' government directed that licenses could be given to New Mexico couples, the New Mexico state government has not taken action to ensure they will be honored.Read more about this topic: Recognition Of Same-sex Unions In New Mexico
Famous quotes containing the word law:
“No law can possibly meet the convenience of every one: we must be satisfied if it be beneficial on the whole and to the majority.”
—Titus Livius (Livy)
“I do not believe in lawyers, in that mode of attacking or defending a man, because you descend to meet the judge on his own ground, and, in cases of the highest importance, it is of no consequence whether a man breaks a human law or not. Let lawyers decide trivial cases.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It will be seen that we contemplate a time when man’s will shall be law to the physical world, and he shall no longer be deterred by such abstractions as time and space, height and depth, weight and hardness, but shall indeed be the lord of creation.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)