Gay marriage subtopics in the news

Over the past couple of weeks, I have read a few articles on noteworthy gay marriage subtopics. The content varies by article, so rather than synthesizing the information, I will summarize the articles below and provide links for further reading.

A gay person who wishes to take her or his partner's name upon marriage may have difficulty doing so. Challenges exist even in states recognizing same-sex marriage, and they can arise arbitrarily, even in document-issuing agencies required to cooperate.

Due to the federal government's refusal to recognize gay marriage, married gay couples encounter certain difficulties in the divorce process that straight couples avoid. Also, depending on where a gay couple married and where they live when trying to divorce, they may face extreme hardships trying to obtain the divorce.

Judge Stephen Reinhardt, a  federal judge in Los Angeles, ordered that the federal government compensate a gay couple denied certain spousal benefits, such as healthcare for one under the other's policy.

Judge Alex Kozinski, the chief federal appeals court judge in San Francisco, ordered the Obama administration to honor his finding that the wife of a female court employee was entitled to government insurance coverage under her wife's plan.

Judge Mary Margaret McKeown, a federal appeals court judge in San Francisco, denied  a request that the Campaign for California Families be entitled to intervene in defense of Proposition 8, in a suit challenging Proposition 8's constitutionality. Denial was based on the existing defendants' sufficiency to represent the Campaign's interests.