Gay rights setback seen in Illinois Supreme Court ruling

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois Supreme Court ruling is a step backward for same-sex couples and will harm all unmarried domestic partners who might want a court to decide a property dispute after a break-up, according to gay rights advocates.

The court on Thursday rejected 5-2 a claim by a Chicago woman who split up with her partner after nearly 30 years of living together and raising children. The two women split in 2008, years before Illinois legalized same-sex marriage.

Eileen Brewer, a Cook County judge, was seeking a share in Dr. Jane Blumenthal's medical practice as restitution. Her attorneys asked the state high court to overturn its 1979 position barring such claims by unmarried partners.

The case was seen by some legal observers as a chance for the justices to update their position in the context of expanding protections for same-sex couples and all unmarried couples and their children.

Read more: http://www.qconline.com/news/illinois/gay-rights-setback-seen-in-illinois-supreme-court-ruling/article_2c7720ee-664a-11e6-9b50-074990b2a48b.html