As I have previously discussed, the rulings that struck down Wisconsin’s and Indiana’s same-sex marriage bans are being jointly appealed to the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court heard oral arguments earlier this week from both sides, and over 200 people waited in line in hopes to hear the arguments. Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Timothy Samuelson argued that the ban was supported by tradition, which prompted Judge Richard Posner to liken the argument to that of previous bans on marriage between interracial couples. Attorneys for the ACLU and national gay rights advocate group Lambda Legal argued that the bans violate equal protection because same-sex couples are denied legal benefits, which are available to straight couples.
See Associated Press, Judges Blast Ind., Wis. Gay Marriage Bans, USA Today, Aug. 26, 2014.
Special thanks to Laura Galvan (Attorney, San Antonio, Texas) for bringing this article to my attention.
