OMAHA, Neb. — A new poll finds that the majority of Nebraskans — 54 percent — still oppose legalizing same-sex marriage, but in Ohama, more people support marriage equality than oppose it.
The new statewide poll by the Omaha World-Herald comes as supporters of same-sex marriage prepare to challenge the state’s ban in court.
The ACLU of Nebraska and others filed a lawsuit in federal court last month, arguing that the 2000 ban is unconstitutional.
It also comes as Nebraska finds itself in a shrinking minority of states where same-sex marriage bans are still in place or where they have survived legal challenges.
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The poll found that 54 percent of Nebraska voter oppose same-sex marriage, with 34 percent in support; 12 percent had no opinion. In Omaha, however, more people supported than opposed gay marriage: 46 percent in support, 41 percent opposed.
A federal judge struck down Nebraska’s measure in 2005, but a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it the following year. The Nebraska ban has remained unchallenged, despite repeated calls from Nebraskans to take up the issue again.
Federal courts have since struck down dozens of other state bans on same-sex marriage, and those ruling have been upheld by federal appeals courts in the Fourth, Seventh, Ninth and Tenth Circuits.
