Gay marriage bans upheld in four states

Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals wrote definitions of marriage should not be changed by the courts.

 

The 2-1 decision is the first at the appeals court level in favour of gay marriage opponents.

 

It affects Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

 

In recent months, four other appeals courts have struck down state bans on same-sex marriage, ruling they violated the US constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.

 

Last month, the US Supreme Court declined to hear challenges against those decisions, effectively ratifying them and leading to same-sex nuptials in several more states.

 

But the high court did not make its own ruling on the matter, in large part because at the time there was no dispute among the appeals courts.

 

Gay marriage is now legal in 32 states and in Washington DC.

 

Read More: BBC News – Gay marriage bans upheld in four states

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