TUCSON, AZ – Arizona must continue to provide health-care benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian government workers, according to the Tucson Citizen.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a temporary injunction from a lower court that blocked a 2009 state law eliminating health-insurance coverage for same-sex partners of state employees from taking effect.
In its unanimous ruling, a three-judge panel of the appellate court noted that the state is not obligated to provide health-care benefits but said denying them to a specific group of employees violates the equal-protection provisions of the U.S. Constitution.