10th U.S. Circuit Panel Hears Marriage Equality Oral Argument Next Week

Next week, oral arguments before a 3-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the marriage equality case of Kitchen v Herbert will occur, starting on Thursday April 10th. Exactly one week later, the 10th Circuit (a different 3-judge panel) will hear the appeal of the federal district court ruling that struck down Oklahoma's ban on marriage equality. This is the first hearing of the nine pending cases being heard before five, count 'em five federal appellate courts on marriage equality in the next few weeks.

HRC summarizes:

The Tenth Circuit is one of five federal appeals courts that will preside over nine marriage equality cases in the coming weeks and months. Other cases that will go before circuit courts include: Sevcik v. Sandoval of Nevada in the Ninth Circuit, DeLeon v. Perry out of Texas in the Fifth Circuit, Bostic v. Rainey of Virginia out of the Fourth Circuit, and four cases out of the Sixth Circuit - Tanco v. Haslam of Tennessee, Bourke vs. Beshear of Kentucky, Obergefell v. Kasich of Ohio, and DeBoer v. Snyder of Michigan. The Sixth Circuit holds the distinction of being the only federal appeals court to date that will consider marriage cases from all states within its jurisdiction.

The oral argument next week is important because it is the first time an appellate court is hearing a marriage equality case following last year's Supreme Court case in Windsor.