U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear gay ‘spousal’ benefits case
Texas businesses will not be forced to give spousal benefits to employees in same-sex “marriages” after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the issue. The city of Houston, Texas , sought to overturn a state Supreme Court ruling allowing for the elimination of spousal insurance benefits to same-sex spouses of city employees, but the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal. The Texas court had ruled in June that while the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision required states to recognize same-sex “marriage,” the high court “did not hold that states must provide the same publicly funded benefits to all married persons.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton summed up the meaning of the court’s decision at the time, saying, “While the U.S. Supreme Court declared a right to same-sex marriage, that ruling did not resolve all legal issues related to marriage.” The ruling was “a huge win for Houston taxpayers and for those who support the state’s marriage law...