Breaking: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear cases challenging gay & lesbian marriage bans in four states in the Sixth Circuit. A nationwide decision by the Court is expected by late June 2015. The decisions the Court agreed to review today come from the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals covering Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio & Michigan from which a three-judge panel upheld those states’ bans on marriage for gay & lesbian couples. That decision conflicted with favorable marriage rulings in four other appellate circuits. More than 50 federal & state courts have struck down discriminatory marriage bans in the past year and a half. Briefs will now be filed on both sides, oral argument will be scheduled & the Supreme Court will likely hand down a decision by next summer, potentially bringing an end to marriage discrimination in the United States. Brian Silva, Marriage Equality USA’s Executive Director stated, “It’s time for America to no longer be a house divided when it comes to the freedom to marry. 36 states & the District of Columbia already have marriage equality. LGBTQ couples should no longer be excluded in the remaining 14 states, Puerto Rico & other US territories.” said John Lewis, MEUSA’s Legal and Policy Director added, “We urge the Supreme Court to affirm the near unanimous consensus of the over 55 courts who have ruled in favor of marriage equality over the last 18 months. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are part of the fabric of America. We look to the Supreme Court to recognize once and for all that we should have the same freedom to marry that all other Americans enjoy and that we should have full constitutional protections in all aspects of our lives”.
Updates to Come…:)
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