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Varnado also argued that Czekala-Chatham had a separate right to access the courts to seek a divorce, and should be allowed a divorce in Mississippi because she has a right to travel.
“Imagine how it would be if heterosexual couples had to go back to the state where you were married to get divorced,” Czekala-Chatham said after the hearing. She said she faces criticism from other same-sex couples who feel her quest for a divorce puts advocacy for same-sex marriage in a bad light. She said she must file her income taxes as a married person and faces other obstacles because she’s still married.
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The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you.“It interferes in everything I do,” she said.
Wednesday’s arguments came against a rapidly changing legal backdrop. Since Czekala-Chatham sought a divorce in 2013, courts in a number of states have declared same-sex marriage legal. Last year, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves overturned Mississippi’s law and constitutional amendment. His ruling was frozen while the state appealed to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Because the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case on the legality of gay marriage last week, several justices asked whether a stay would be appropriate to see how that court ruled. If the top federal court declares same-sex marriage legal nationwide, Czekala-Chatham would get all the rights of a married person in Mississippi, including divorce. Both Varnado and Matheny said they wouldn’t oppose a stay.
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“Telling people they can get divorced doesn’t put the state imprimatur on the relationship in the same way as granting a marriage license,” Block said.
Block said even if the Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage nationwide, a Mississippi ruling could have value.
“Hearing what the Mississippi Supreme Court says may well be relevant going forward,” Block said.
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