US: Judge rules Ohio must recognise out-of-state same-sex marriages
A federal judge has ordered that the US state of Ohio must recognise out-of-state same-sex marriages.
Judge Timothy Black’s official ruling came on Monday, but he announced the intention to do so last week.
It orders the state to recognise same-sex marriages performed out-of-state, and criticised the state’s “ongoing arbitrary discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.”
He said Ohio’s ban on same-sex marriage was unenforceable and against citizens’ constitutional rights
The ruling does not mean the state must perform same-sex marriages.
Attorney General Mike DeWine had already said the state will appeal against the ruling.
Black already in December issued a limited ruling which ordered the state to recognise same-sex marriages for death certificate purposes.
Judge Black has not issued a stay on the ruling, giving those on both sides of the argument until late on Tuesday to put forward their arguments.
