US: Judge to issue opinion in Tennessee divorce case
After under an hour’s hearing in a same-sex divorce case, a judge announced on Friday that he would issue a written opinion.
The hearing at Roane County Circuit Court lasted 45 minutes in the case of Frederick Michael Borman and Larry Kevin Pyles-Borman, who married in Iowa in 2010, and filed for divorce in Tennessee in 2011.
Judge Russell Simmons Jr, who will retire at the end of August, has been asked to weigh in on the case.
The issue faced is that Tennessee bans same-sex marriage, so it is unclear whether the couple will be granted divorce, as their marriage is not recognised there.
Borman’s attorney argues that marriages from other states should be recognised, in order for the divorce to be approved.
Assistant Attorney General Kathryn A Baker, argues in favour of current state laws which ban same-sex marriage.
