Federal judge to monitor Kansas to ensure equal marriage compliance
A federal judge has said he will monitor the state of Kansas in order to ensure it is compliant with a Supreme Court ruling in favour of same-sex marriage.
In 2015, the US Supreme Court made a sweeping ruling which legalised equal marriage across all 50 states.
But US District Judge Daniel Crabtree ruled in an earlier lawsuit, filed in 2014, to say that he would be monitoring the state’s compliance with the Supreme Court ruling.
He issued a permanent order on Friday which reinforces the sweeping ruling, saying the state of Kansas cannot treat same-sex couples differently from straight couples.
The ruling refers to allowing same-sex couples to marry, as well as extending marriage benefits to them.
The 2014 lawsuit was filed against Kansas’ health and revenue departments.
The judge said the state had showed signs of possibly not fully complying with the Supreme Court ruling.
Earlier this year the state attempted to change regulations on legal gender change, to make it harder for trans people to have documents reflecting their gender identity.
The change in policy is not the only effort to limit the rights of transgender people in Kansas.
Earlier this year, two identical bills got readings. The bills would make it an offence for trans people to use a bathroom not aligned with their chromosomes and birth gender.
It made it possible for trans people to be fined $2,500 for using the “wrong” bathroom.
