- Civil marriage equality cannot legally be denied at the state level, via the Supreme Court of the United States, as of 26 June 2015. (Same-sex couples have the legal right to marry.)
- On 26 June 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled FOR marriage equality and that same-gender couples have the constitutional right to marry in all 50 states and all U.S. territories.
- MARRIAGE EQUALITY FAQ
- If a marriage license is refused to you, please contact one of the following legal organizations immediately!
ACLU
https://www.aclu.org/about/affiliates?redirect=affiliates
212.549.2500GLAD
http://www.GLADAnswers.org/
617.426.1350Lambda Legal
http://www.lambdalegal.org/marriage-equality-tracker
212.809.8585NCLR
http://www.nclrights.org/legal-help
415.392.6257
- 1 case in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals; 1 case in the AR Supreme Court challenging the ban.
- 9 June 2015, Judge: Arkansas Must Recognize in-State Same-Sex Marriages - By Andrew DeMillo, AP via ABC News. Yay!
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
- In 1997, the Arkansas General Assembly passed a ban on same-sex marriage and recognition of same-sex marriages performed out of state. The bill was signed into law by Governor Mike Huckabee.
- In November 2004, Arkansas voters approved Constitutional Amendment 3, a state initiated constitutional amendment that prohibited the recognition of same-sex marriage, as well as anything "identical or substantially similar to marital status" in the state of Arkansas.
- Marriage equality was legal in Arkansas for a week, 9 May 2014 until 16 May 2014, as the result of Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Chris Piazza's ruling declaring the state ban unconstitutional. During that week, approximately 450 same-sex couples received marriage licenses.
- Arkansas was the first former Confederate state to legalize same-sex marriage.
- Arkansas was also the first state in the Bible Belt to legalize same-sex marriage.
- The Arkansas constitutional ban on same-sex marriages and civil unions was active from 2004 until 2015, per Constitutional Amendment 3.
- On 9 May 2014, the ban was ruled unconstitutional by County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza in the marriage case Wright et al. v. Arkansas.
- On 25 November 2014, U.S. District Judge Kristine G. Baker ruled that the Arkansas marriage ban violated the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution, in the marriage case Jernigan v. Crane (see under LAWSUITS-PENDING below).
- 19 September 2014, the Respect for Marriage Coalition, of which Marriage Equality USA is a member, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Holder urging the federal government to recognize the same-sex marriages previously performed in Arkansas, Indiana and Wisconsin.
- 25 November 2014, U.S. District Judge Kristine G. Baker ruled that the Arkansas marriage ban violated the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution. See Jernigan v. Crane under LAWSUITS-PENDING below. The ruling was stayed until final resolution of the appeal to the 8th Circuit. UPDATE: 29 April 2015, the Court, of its own accord, put the 8th Circuit oral arguments and all further proceedings on hold until SCOTUS ruled in the marriage cases. That pro-marriage equality ruling was issued by the U.S. Supreme Court on 26 June 2015.
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