SCOTUS Says Oral Argument Date For April 28 In Marriage Equality Cases

The United States Supreme Court has set the date for oral arguments in the four marriage equality cases from the 6th U.S. Circuit that it earlier agreed to hear appeals of: Tuesday April 28.

On January 16, the United States Supreme Court announced that this year, they will hear arguments in a case on the question of whether same-sex couples should have the freedom to marry and if anti-marriage laws nationwide should be struck down as unconstitutional. The Court granted review of an out-of-step ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, which ruled in November against the freedom to marry in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. In each of these cases, federal judges had ruled in favor of the freedom to marry for all, and the 6th Circuit reversed each decision. 

The arguments are in the cases Obergefell v. Hodges from Ohio, Tanco v. Haslam from Tennessee, DeBoer v. Snyder from Michigan, and Bourke v. Beshear from Kentucky. The states' response briefs are due March 17, and final reply briefs are due April 17.

A final ruling deciding the fundamental question about whether same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry (or that denying this right to same-sex couples unconstitutionally discriminates against them) will be issued by July 2015.