Rhode Island: Judge puts off same-sex “divorce” ruling
The Providence Journal reports:
. . . During a hearing yesterday, Superior Court Judge Patricia A. Hurst asked both sides to submit legal memos and she scheduled another hearing for June 12. “You have caught me off guard with a one-page motion with no supporting memoranda, no analysis,” Hurst told Chambers’ lawyer, Louis M. Pulner.
But the judge did make some initial comments about Pulner’s motion, which seeks to certify the jurisdictional question to the Supreme Court.
“Superior Court does not have jurisdiction over divorce proceedings, so the question is whether Superior Court has jurisdiction over proceedings that resolve marital rights without calling it a divorce proceeding,” Hurst said. “Does the court have jurisdiction over two people who want to resolve property interests? That happens every day.” . . .