Cebu_4_2
20th December 2013, 02:18 PM
Who are these Judges? More gay shit:
Federal judge strikes down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage
By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published 24 minutes ago • Updated 1 minute ago
A federal judge in Utah Friday struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process.
"The state’s current laws deny its gay and lesbian citizens their fundamental right to marry and, in so doing, demean the dignity of these same-sex couples for no rational reason," wrote U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby. "Accordingly, the court finds that these laws are unconstitutional."
Shelby’s ruling came just 16 days after he heard arguments in the case and well before his self-imposed deadline to render a decision by Jan. 7, when the next hearing in the matter was to be held.
"It feels unreal," said Moudi Sbeity, who with his partner Derek L. Kitchen were plaintiffs in the case. "I’m just very thrilled that Derek and I will be able to get married soon, if all goes well and the state doesn’t appeal. We want a farmer’s market wedding because it’s where we spend a lot of time."
The two make and sell Mediterranean-style spreads at farmer’s markets throughout Utah. Sbeity said he and Kitchen had just heard the news from their attorney. Kitchen "just has a very large smile on his face," Sbeity said.
The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Karen Archer and Kate Call and Laurie Wood and Kody Partridge. Archer and Call already have a marriage license issued in Iowa, but joined the lawsuit to protest that their legal marriage was not recognized in Utah.
Shelby said that while he agreed with Utah that marriage has traditionally been left to regulation by the states, such laws must comply with the Constitution.
"The issue the court must address in this case is not who should define marriage, but the narrow question of whether Utah’s current definition of marriage is permissible under the Constitution," the judge said.
The ACLU of Utah filed an amicus brief in the case and legal director John Mejia said Friday the organization was "thrilled" by the decision.
"We think that it was a discriminatory law that only served to deny loving and committed couples the protection and dignity of marriage," he said.
Federal judge strikes down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage
By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published 24 minutes ago • Updated 1 minute ago
A federal judge in Utah Friday struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process.
"The state’s current laws deny its gay and lesbian citizens their fundamental right to marry and, in so doing, demean the dignity of these same-sex couples for no rational reason," wrote U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby. "Accordingly, the court finds that these laws are unconstitutional."
Shelby’s ruling came just 16 days after he heard arguments in the case and well before his self-imposed deadline to render a decision by Jan. 7, when the next hearing in the matter was to be held.
"It feels unreal," said Moudi Sbeity, who with his partner Derek L. Kitchen were plaintiffs in the case. "I’m just very thrilled that Derek and I will be able to get married soon, if all goes well and the state doesn’t appeal. We want a farmer’s market wedding because it’s where we spend a lot of time."
The two make and sell Mediterranean-style spreads at farmer’s markets throughout Utah. Sbeity said he and Kitchen had just heard the news from their attorney. Kitchen "just has a very large smile on his face," Sbeity said.
The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Karen Archer and Kate Call and Laurie Wood and Kody Partridge. Archer and Call already have a marriage license issued in Iowa, but joined the lawsuit to protest that their legal marriage was not recognized in Utah.
Shelby said that while he agreed with Utah that marriage has traditionally been left to regulation by the states, such laws must comply with the Constitution.
"The issue the court must address in this case is not who should define marriage, but the narrow question of whether Utah’s current definition of marriage is permissible under the Constitution," the judge said.
The ACLU of Utah filed an amicus brief in the case and legal director John Mejia said Friday the organization was "thrilled" by the decision.
"We think that it was a discriminatory law that only served to deny loving and committed couples the protection and dignity of marriage," he said.