Saturday, June 07, 2014

Now There Are 20! Wisconsin's Ban on Marriage Equality Struck Down!


Of course, just hours after I wrote a post with a map depicting the 19 states that have marriage equality, a 20th was added when a federal judge ruled in Wolf v. Walker that Wisconsin's state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU, which celebrated thusly:
"We are tremendously happy that these loving and committed couples will now be able to access the security and recognition that only marriage provides,” said Larry Dupuis, legal director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. “These discriminatory laws are falling around the country and it is only right that Wisconsin move forward as well.” 
"Wisconsin’s constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples is a striking example of intentional discrimination towards lesbians and gay men in Wisconsin,” said John Knight, staff attorney with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project. “The marriage ban has sent a powerful message  that same-sex couples are undeserving of the dignity and important legal protections associated with marriage. Judge Crabb’s decision that same-sex couples are equal under the law sends an entirely different message -- one inviting and encouraging fair treatment and respect for these couples."
Couples are getting married in Madison and Milwaukee:


There are now 20 states in which same-sex couples can get legally married and twenty consecutive federal court ruling since last year's Supreme Court ruling in U.. v. Windsor. Apparently Justice Antonin Scalia's dissent in that case was cited no less than a dozen times in Judge Crabb's decision striking down Wisconsin's marriage law!

Hat/tip to Joe Jervis

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