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Marriage Equality

Ky. Couples Sue for In-State Marriage Rights

Ky. Couples Sue for In-State Marriage Rights

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They are calling on a judge to expand his ruling on recognition of same-sex marriages performed elsewhere so that gay couples can obtain wedding licenses in Kentucky.

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Shortly after a federal judge ruled that Kentucky should recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, two gay couples have filed suit calling on the state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex pairs.

The couples Friday filed an "intervening complaint" asking U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn to expand on the decision he issued Wednesday, Louisville's Courier-Journal reports. The case in which Heyburn ruled dealt only with recognition of out-of-state marriages, but the couples say the same constitutional argument, equal protection of the laws, applies to the issuance of marriage licenses within the state.

The couples, Timothy Love and Lawrence Ysunza, and Maurice Blanchard and Dominique James, "say they should be allowed to join the earlier lawsuit in the interest of 'judicial economy' and because there are issues common to both cases," the Courier-Journal notes. They are represented by the same attorneys who handled the case for the four couples in the original suit.

"The court was not presented with the particular question whether Kentucky's ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional," Heyburn wrote in his ruling. "However, there is no doubt that Windsor [last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing federal recognition of same-sex marriages] and this court's analysis suggest a possible result to that question." The ruling won't be final until Heyburn works out details of its implementation, and he plans to schedule a hearing on the subject.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.