U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

With one ruling, the court could decide that LGBTQ Americans are protected from discrimination nationwide.

The court has allotted two-and-a-half hours on the last Tuesday in April for arguments in same-sex gay marriages cases from four states.

An appeals court says a fired lawyer for the state of Michigan should not be granted a new trial in a defamation suit filed by a gay former University of Michigan student government president.

Setting the stage for a potentially historic ruling, the Supreme Court says it will decide whether same-sex couples nationwide have a right to marry under the Constitution. The justices said Friday they will review an appellate ruling that upheld bans on same-sex unions in four states.

The Supreme Court has quietly engineered a dramatic increase in the number of states that allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. That increase also has raised the chances the justices soon will settle the legal debate.

WASHINGTON — A same-sex couple from Michigan is putting the question of the right to marry nationwide squarely before the Supreme Court. The couple’s plea to be allowed to marry was being filed Monday. It asks the justices to hold that state laws prohibiting same-sex couples from getting married violate “our nation’s most cherished and essential guarantees.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Three same-sex couples challenging Tennessee’s ban on same-sex marriage and refusal to recognize their out-of-state marriages, asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to hear their case after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that state marriage bans do not violate the U.S. Constitution.

WASHINGTON — A decision by a panel of federal judges to uphold anti-gay marriage laws in four states has created a split among the nation’s appeals courts and made it very likely the Supreme Court will review the same-sex marriage issue. But it is unclear whether the matter will reach the justices in time for a decision in June.

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho officials say a recent ruling upholding same-sex marriage bans in four states could cause the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Idaho’s case. Earlier this year, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Idaho’s gay marriage ban. But on Thursday, a separate federal appeals court upheld the ban in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

Depending upon how fast lawyers choose to move, the issue of same-sex marriage could be back before the Supreme Court in a matter of days. So far, only one option has been closed off. The remaining options have some, perhaps considerable, chances of success. The decision Thursday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, upholding bans on same-sex marriage in four states, has clearly increased the prospect that the Justices will now take on one or more appeals — perhaps even in time for decision in the current term…

One side was euphoric, the other dismayed, but both foes and supporters of same-sex marriage swiftly turned their attention to the U.S. Supreme Court after an against-the-grain appeals court ruling upheld bans or restrictions on gay marriage in four states. The 2-1 ruling Thursday by the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — affecting […]

Breaking ranks with rulings from other federal courts, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Ohio upheld gay marriage bans in four states, saying the courts aren’t the right place to legalize gay marriage. Here’s a look at key passages and how they compare to previous federal rulings:

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A group seeking a constitutional amendment on the ballot to overturn Ohio’s gay marriage ban says it will continue that push while hoping that the issue will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. FreedomOhio Executive Director Ian James outlined that plan in a statement Thursday after a federal appeals court…

FreedomOhio Executive Director Ian Ja

DETROIT — An attorney for two Detroit-area nurses who challenged Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage says they’ll next go to the U.S. Supreme Court. Carole Stanyar spoke to The Associated Press after an appeals court reinstated the ban Thursday. In a 2-1 decision, the court overturned a ruling that found the gay marriage ban unconstitutional.

CINCINNATI — A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld same-sex marriage bans in four states, breaking ranks with other courts that have considered the issue and setting up the prospect of Supreme Court review. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that heard arguments on gay marriage bans or restrictions in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee…

Weddings, court rulings and confusion are defining a week that started with the U.S. Supreme Court denying appeals from five states seeking to retain their bans on same-sex marriage. Some of the 11 states affected by the denial went ahead with weddings; others are proceeding toward marriage deliberately. Others are putting up a fight.

CINCINNATI — After a series of developments on same-sex marriage this week, there’s growing anticipation for a ruling by the federal appeals court based in Cincinnati. A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments two months ago on challenges to gay marriage bans in four states. Its eventual ruling could help…

WASHINGTON — A day after the Supreme Court passed on gay marriage appeals and effectively made same-sex marriage legal in 30 states, the federal appeals court in San Francisco struck down gay marriage bans in a decision that could soon allow gay and lesbian couples to wed in five more states.

A surprising reveal this week from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg about the court’s plans for taking up a marriage case — or maybe not taking up any. An Arkansas clerk breaks ranks with top state officials, declaring for the first time that the state’s marriage ban is unconstitutional. Plus: numerous states freeze their marriage lawsuits…

MINNEAPOLIS — People looking for clues about how soon the U.S. Supreme Court might weigh in on state bans of same-sex marriage should watch the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told a Minnesota audience Tuesday that there would be “some urgency” if an appeals court upholds same-sex marriage bans. Such a ruling would run …