Supreme Court asked to hear Louisiana same-sex marriage case
Plaintiffs in a case challenging Louisiana’s same-sex marriage ban are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case before a federal appeals court has rendered judgement.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs filed a petition with the Supreme Court Thursday asking the high court to bypass the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and take up their challenge to the Louisiana ban. Arguments before the appeals court are scheduled for early January.
The petition asks the Supreme Court to address whether a “state’s constitutional and statutory bans denying same-sex couples the freedom to marry and recognition of their marriages validly entered in other jurisdictions violate the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”
In September, a federal judge upheld the Louisiana marriage ban as constitutional.
“Without this Court’s intervention in this issue of importance to same-sex couples and their families in all parts of our country, we are fast becoming two nations, one in which same-sex spouses can live and travel freely, secure in protections and equality for their families, and another in which they suffer state-sanctioned legal disrespect and stigma,” the petition states. “We cannot as a nation continue on this uneven path.”
The petition is the fifth now before the Supreme Court regarding state same-sex marriage bans. The Supreme Court has also been asked to hear arguments in cases challenging same-sex marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee — all of which were upheld as constitutional by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month.
Plaintiffs in the Louisiana case are represented by Lambda Legal.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.