Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional in Utah

[crazyforkate]

Utah, of all places.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57291 ... y.html.csp

[BravaAmica]

It will be interesting to see this play out.

[ADoyle90815]

I was surprised that happened so soon, as I thought Utah would be one of the last states. Anyway, the former leaders of the Mormon church are probably spinning in their graves over this. Either way, it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out. I think the LDS church is probably going to give women the priesthood before they allow homosexuals. I don't think that women's equality in the church is going to happen in my lifetime, so I don't see them accepting gays.

[Cleopatra7]

I don't think this really changes anything, especially in a conservative state like Utah. All this is saying is that the state constitution can't ban gay marriage. It would be quite another thing altogether for Utah to pass a law that allows same-sex marriages to actually occur. Right now, it seems like Utah is back to the status quo of the past 100 odd years where there was no law on the books that explicitly banned same-sex marriage, but no same-sex couple would actually go down to city hall and ask for a license.

[debrand]

Do you think that this will mean that other states have to allow same sex marriage? I'd love for NC's amendment banning same sex marriage to be the next to be overturned.

[mirele]

Marriages are actually occurring as I write. The mayor of Salt Lake City, Ralph Becker, said he'd stay up until midnight to marry people. This is happening...

[FloraKitty35]

Let's hope this isn't overturned, I did a double take when I read the headline.

[mirele]

Let's hope this isn't overturned, I did a double take when I read the headline.

Yeah, when someone messaged me about it, I thought they were confusing this with a Utah federal court decision *last* Friday that eviscerated Utah's unlawful cohabitation law. (That law was used to prosecute polygamists and was struck down on free association grounds.)

[Cleopatra7]

Marriages are actually occurring as I write. The mayor of Salt Lake City, Ralph Becker, said he'd stay up until midnight to marry people. This is happening...

Well, I'm honestly shocked. Good for Salt Lake. Now the real test will be to see when Adam and Steve or Eve and Yvette can go to the courthouse in Natchez, Mississippi and get married.

[lilwriter85]

I'm really shocked by this. Ugly conflicts are probably starting there right now. I know there are Mormons that support marriage equality, but the ones who don't are pissed right now. I wonder if some of the Mormon mommy bloggers in Utah will write about this.

[Minerva]

So Utah's attorney general is filing for a stay to stop the marriage licenses that are being issued as we speak, but it may not go through until days from now. If they get that stay, what happens to the marriage licenses that have already been signed? I wonder if any other counties will start issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

[RosyDaisy]

Good for Utah! This gives me a tiny bit of hope for Alabama.

[formergothardite]

Do you think that this will mean that other states have to allow same sex marriage? I'd love for NC's amendment banning same sex marriage to be the next to be overturned.

I was thinking about this. I remember when NC passed that ridiculous amendment and people swore it meant that we would never have to legalize gay marriage here.

[bettertomarry]

I was thinking about this. I remember when NC passed that ridiculous amendment and people swore it meant that we would never have to legalize gay marriage here.

I think most, if not all of those bans are currently being addressed in court right now. The suit against Utah, I believe, just happened to move through a little more quickly. NC's suit was just amended and is in process, but no idea about when a decision will be reached.

http://www.acluofnc.org/index.php/blog/ ... uples.html

Not breaking link because ACLU.

[Jana814]

Let's hope this isn't overturned, I did a double take when I read the headline.

Same here! But good for Utah.

[lawlifelgbt]

I hate how same-sex couples, because of the flux the state of the law is in, have to rush and get married NOW NOW NOW before the right is yanked.

I mean, if you have a family together and have been together for several years, I can see the rush; it secures protections in the event the stay/appeal had been granted or the decision later struck.

But, for couples that might not WANT to get married RIGHT THIS SECOND, forcing a rush wouldn't be good. I wanted to get married in the time between MN legalizing (mid-May 2013) and the Winsdor decision (June 26), even though I feel too young and we weren't "ready" because I was afraid the SC decisions would affect my right. (It's not that I don't want to get married, but I hope to wait until I turn 24 in April, so I'm older, we live together longer, and maybe have money set aside/better arrangements for a better wedding experience).

I'm not big on giant weddings either, but I bet some of the Utah married couples would have liked a big, nice, wedding, or even just to have their entire families there to see it. And the rush to marry makes that really hard, and some may feel they've "lost out" on something.

[bettertomarry]

sltrib.com/sltrib/blogscrimecourts/57340626-71/marriage-state-sex-court.html.csp

Utah has dropped the 'marriage is for procreation' argument. But now they're arguing that it isn't the Supreme Court's job to interpret social science 'research'. Utah claims that there is 'research' which argues in favor of 'traditional marriage'. It seems like quite a reach.

[DarkAnts]

I hate how same-sex couples, because of the flux the state of the law is in, have to rush and get married NOW NOW NOW before the right is yanked.

I mean, if you have a family together and have been together for several years, I can see the rush; it secures protections in the event the stay/appeal had been granted or the decision later struck.

But, for couples that might not WANT to get married RIGHT THIS SECOND, forcing a rush wouldn't be good. I wanted to get married in the time between MN legalizing (mid-May 2013) and the Winsdor decision (June 26), even though I feel too young and we weren't "ready" because I was afraid the SC decisions would affect my right. (It's not that I don't want to get married, but I hope to wait until I turn 24 in April, so I'm older, we live together longer, and maybe have money set aside/better arrangements for a better wedding experience).

I'm not big on giant weddings either, but I bet some of the Utah married couples would have liked a big, nice, wedding, or even just to have their entire families there to see it. And the rush to marry makes that really hard, and some may feel they've "lost out" on something.

Many couples are waiting. They want to wait until this has gone through the court system. Others are rushing to get married because they are unsure about the possibility of getting married after this goes through the court system. These couples have the attitude that at least they were legally married for a little while. I can understand their fears and desire to have a legal marriage