Domestic partnership in Washington (state)
Recognized State Registered Domestic Partnerships (SRDP) in Washington were created in 2007 following the Andersen v. King County decision.As a result of the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state, from June 30, 2014, SRDP will be available only when at least one of the partners is sixty-two years of age or older.[1] In its Andersen v. King County decision,[2] the Washington Supreme Court noted the Legislature was free to revisit any law it had previously enacted.[14] Despite the attempts to provide equal benefits to domestic partners, the law does not change Washington's restriction against same-sex marriages.[15] "Although we view this as an improvement that provides real and concrete protections to same-sex partners, it's an inadequate substitute for marriage," said Representative Jamie Pedersen, the House sponsor of the bill.The law also provides that Washington's registered domestic partnerships will convert automatically to marriages on June 30, 2014, if not dissolved before that date.