US: Federal court hearing marriage ban appeals from four states at once
A federal appeals court will today hear appeals from four states at once against rulings striking down same-sex marriage bans.
The case, in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, revolves around same-sex marriage bans in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, and is the largest of its kind to be heard so far.
Due to the large number of parties involved in the case, representatives from Michigan and Ohio will get half an hour to make their appeals, while attorneys from Kentucky and Tennessee will get just 15 minutes each.
The mega-case is expected to attract large demonstrations both for and against marriage equality, due to its unconventional nature.
Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin said: “Americans know that its wrong to tell two people in love they can’t get married, just because they’re gay or lesbian. And according to nineteen federal court rulings, the U.S. Constitution agrees.
“This week the Sixth Circuit will be asked to decide whether state-imposed discrimination should continue, or if this nation’s most basic ideals of justice and equality shall prevail.
“We believe the couples and their incredible attorneys challenging these bans will prove that the state you call home should never determine your ability to marry the person you love.”
The 9th and 10th Circuit Courts have already upheld rulings striking down same-sex marriage bans, in cases from Utah and Virginia respectively.
No court has issued a ruling against marriage equality as a whole since the Defence of Marriage Act was struck down by the Supreme Court last July.
