Federal Judge Overturns Nebraska Gay Marriage Ban

Ashley Alman        | Huffington Post | March 2, 2015

 

A federal judge has ruled Nebraska’s statewide ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon issued the ruling Monday, saying county clerks will be permitted to begin issuing gay marriage licenses on March 9.

“[A]ll relevant state officials are ordered to treat same-sex couples the same as different sex couples in the context of processing a marriage license or determining the rights, protections, obligations or benefits of marriage,” he wrote in the order.

The Nebraska attorney general’s office has already said it will appeal the judge’s order. Attorney General Doug Peterson is confident the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals will grant the appeal.

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ACLU Seeks Nebraska Recognition of Gay Marriages

Associated Press | EDGE Boston | December 4, 2014

A civil liberties group is asking a judge to order Nebraska to recognize same-sex marriages while the group’s legal challenge to the state’s gay marriage ban is pending.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska filed a motion Tuesday for a preliminary injunction requiring the state to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples and allow same-sex couples to marry while the lawsuits proceeds. The motion cites the ACLU’s likelihood of prevailing in the case. Same-sex couples can marry in at least 32 other states.

The ACLU is representing seven same-sex couples who sued last month to have their marriages recognized in Nebraska. The state doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions or even legalized domestic partnerships under a 2000 constitutional amendment overwhelmingly approved by voters.

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