Constitutional Courts and Same-Sex Family Rights: The Case of Lithuania within the Eastern and Central European Context

Abstract In recent decades, Europe has witnessed considerable advancement in the legal recognition of same-sex couples’ family relationships; nevertheless, Lithuania remains among the most conservative member states of the EU in addressing this matter. This article aims to analyse the jurisprudence of the Lithuanian Constitutional Court related to same-sex couples’ family rights and assess its role in shaping the legal recognition of same-sex couples in Lithuania. It does so within a broader comparative framework, examining similar decisions of constitutional courts across Eastern and Central Europe. To reach this, the following tasks are undertaken and dealt with:1) to contextualise the issue within the legal and social environment of Eastern and Central Europe, focusing on constitutional jurisprudence of these countries; 2) to discuss the attitude of Lithuanian society towards the legal recognition of same-sex family relations and examine national legal provisions relevant to this issue; 3) to analyse the cases examined by the Lithuanian Constitutional Court and the constitutional doctrine relevant to the recognition of same-sex family relationships.