After a series of court victories for supporters of same-sex marriage, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld gay marriage bans in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan in a ruling issued Thursday.
Read the full opinion here (PDF).
USA Today reports:
The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit reversed district court rulings that had struck down gay marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
More important, it gives Supreme Court justices an appellate ruling that runs counter to four others from the 4th, 7th, 9th and 10th circuits. Those rulings struck down same-sex marriage bans in Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Utah, Idaho and Nevada and led to similar action in neighboring states.
The six cases before the three-judge panel involved not only whether gays and lesbians should be able to marry, but whether marriages performed elsewhere should be recognized, whether same-sex couples should be able to adopt children, and whether their names should be placed on partners’ death certificates.
The matter may now be taken up by the Supreme Court.
Governor Steve Beshear sought an appeal following the district court rulings in Kentucky and was forced to hire outside counsel when Attorney General Jack Conway refused to proceed.
“Today we took another step toward what Kentucky and this nation need: A United States Supreme Court ruling that establishes clear direction for states across the country on this divisive issue. I said all along that we needed clarity and certainty in Kentucky, and a lower court’s ruling was not sufficient. I expect the plaintiffs to appeal this ruling quickly, and I urge the Supreme Court to take up this issue.” – Governor Steve Beshear
When the case was argued in Cincinnati, the event was preceded by a large rally in support of same-sex marriage.
-Staff report
