Maryland Court Refuses to Accept Talaq Divorce
The Maryland State Court of Appeals has ruled that the Talaq divorce proceeding fails to allow proper due process and equal rights to men and women, thwarting a man's efforts to short-circuit the civil divorce proceeding his wife had initiated. The unanimous decision invalidated the Islamic divorce procedure as an enforceable procedure in US Courts. You can read the decision here. Claire Hoffman has more at the Washington Post's On Faith page.
Here's a not-so-bold prediction. In coming years, principles of fairness and freedom will drive an growing gap between marriage as a religious institution and marriage as a civil bond recognized by the government. That might not be such a bad thing.