U.S. Supreme Court Will Rule on Freedom to Marry
Couples and Families Await Monumental Decision

(January 16, 2015)  Today the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case challenging same-sex marriage bans in four states in the Sixth Circuit, and a ruling is expected in June.

• Click here to tweet the news!
• Click here to share this on Facebook!

“In 2008, I was finally able to marry  the woman I have shared my life with for nearly 25 years. It was an incredibly joyous day and so important to us and our daughter,” said Rebecca Isaacs, Executive Director of Equality Federation. “All hardworking Americans should have the same freedom to marry the person they love and to have their families included and treated fairly. I’m hopeful that the Court will rule on the side of freedom and fairness for all.”

Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida, an Equality Federation member group, echoed Isaacs, “In Florida last week, when our own courts affirmed the freedom to marry, we saw an outpouring of thousands of couples ready to pledge their commitments and love. We look forward to the day when couples in every state have the same freedom that we Floridians now enjoy, and we will continue our work here to ensure the health and safety of all families.”

More than 50 federal and state courts have already struck down discriminatory marriage bans in the past year and a half. The decisions the Court agreed to review today are from the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, covering Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan, from which a three-judge panel upheld those states’ bans on marriage for same-sex couples.

Now, briefs will be filed, oral arguments will be scheduled, and the Supreme Court will rule in June, hopefully promising the freedom to marry for all.

Currently, same-sex couples can legally marry in 36 states. However, many states - including some where marriage is legal - still need to update their nondiscrimination laws to include protections from discrimination in employment, housing, and business. On January 26th, Equality Federation and many equality groups across the country from Equality Georgia to Basic Rights Oregon will launch a campaign to draw attention to the need for nondiscrimination protections using #DiscriminationExists.

For interview requests or more information about Equality Federation contact Mark Snyder, Director of Communications, mark@equailtyfederation.org / 617.416.0552.