Equality 1, Walker and extremist bigots 0. Dane County judge rules state's domestic partnership law

Dane County Judge Daniel Moeser on Monday threw out a challenge to the state's domestic partnership law and ruled the law constitutional.

Moeser wrote in his decision that the state's domestic partnership law "does not violate the Marriage Amendment because it does not create a legal status for domestic partners that is identical or substantially similar to that of marriage. The state does not recognize domestic partnership in a way that even remotely resembles how the state recognizes marriage. Morever, domestic partners have far fewer legal rights, duties, and liabilities in comparison to the legal rights, duties, and liabilities of spouses."

Therefore, wrote Moeser, the domestic partnership law is constitutional.

Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union hailed the decision. "The court rightly rejected this mean-spirited and dishonest attack on gay and lesbian couples," said Larry Dupuis, the legal director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, which represented same-sex couples who were defendents in the case. "Our clients know what it's like to worry about not being able to visit a partner in the hospital or to be left with nothing when a partners dies without a will. The protections offered by the domestic partner law at least allay some of those fears."