The US Supreme Court has announced it will hear arguments this year on whether same-sex couples across the country should be able to marry, and whether marriage equality bans should be struck down as unconstitutional. The group Freedom to Marry says the Court has granted a review of an out-of-step ruling from the US 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 favour of the freedom to marry for all, and the 6th Circuit reversed each decision. An oral argument is likely to be scheduled soon for the American spring, with a decision expected by late June 2015. Freedom to Marry founder and president Evan Wolfson says the Supreme Court decision begins what the group hopes will be the last chapter in its campaign to win marriage nationwide. “And it's time. Freedom to Marry's national strategy has been to build a critical mass of marriage states and critical mass of support for ending marriage discrimination, and after a long journey and much debate, America is ready for the freedom to marry. “But couples are still discriminated against in 14 states, and the patchwork of discrimination harms families and businesses throughout the country. We will keep working hard to underscore the urgency of the Supreme Court's bringing the country to national resolution, so that by June, all Americans share in the freedom to marry and our country stands on the right side of history.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 17th January 2015 - 9:54am