Page 295
-
Gay marriage fight pits Texas attorney general against longtime gay friend
When Greg Abbott was paralyzed by a fallen tree in 1984, Mark Phariss flew 500 miles to his friend’s bedside. They were law school pals who swapped stories over dinner, job leads and airport rides, and they still exchange Christmas cards today. Their friendship is now at an extraordinary junction: Phariss, who is gay, filed the Texas lawsuit that a federal judge used this week to strike down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
-
Utah defends freeze on benefits for married, same-sex couples
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah officials say in a new court filing that they have no choice but to put a freeze on granting benefits to newly married gay couples until a federal appeals court rules on the state’s same-sex marriage ban.
-
St. Louis schools to add spousal benefits for married, same-sex couples
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The St. Louis public school system has implemented changes to their employment benefits to include coverage for married, same-sex spouses.
-
ACLU seeks preliminary block on Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban
MADISON, Wis. — Civil rights advocates have asked a federal judge to block Wisconsin’s gay marriage ban while their lawsuit challenging the prohibition winds its way through court, arguing same-sex couples could suffer harm if the ban remains in place.
-
Third Illinois county plans to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — McLean County, Ill., Clerk Kathy Michael says she hopes to be issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples by the middle of next week, months ahead of the June 1 date when Illinois’ marriage equality law is scheduled to take effect.
-
Texas files notice to appeal same-sex marriage ruling
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has officially given notice it will appeal a federal judge’s decision to lift the state’s ban on gay marriage.
-
Federal judge issues order requiring Ky. to recognize same-sex marriages
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge has issued an order requiring the state of Kentucky to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states where it is legal.
-
Idaho approves $1 million to defend same-sex marriage ban
BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has approved spending $1 million to defend the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
-
Ky. seeks delay in order that it recognize same-sex marriages from other states
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky’s attorney general asked a federal judge on Thursday to delay by 90 days an order requiring the state to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries.
-
Expert testimony continues in Day 3 of Mich. same-sex marriage trial
DETROIT — A California scholar says that same-sex couples give the same reason as their opposite-sex counterparts to why they want to marry. Gary Gates of the Williams Institute at UCLA law school testified Thursday in a trial in Detroit federal court over the future of Michigan’s ban on gay marriage.