The 10ᵗʰ Circuit Court of Appeals set a precedent today when they ruled to allow same-sex marriage in Utah despite voter-approved bans. The court says that a ban on same-sex marriage is a violation of the equal protection and due process rights guaranteed in the Fourteenth Amendment. But according to the Salt Lake Tribune, the court “stayed the implementation of their decision, pending a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court”.
Throughout the oral arguments heard in April, Utah attorney Gene C. Schaerr argued that children benefit from having heterosexual parents, not two moms or two dads. On the other side of the argument, Peggy A. Tomsic also argued for the family saying children are demeaned and humiliated when their parents are unable to marry and provide them with the benefits and protections associated with the civil institution.
This is the first appeals court to rule on the issue of same-sex marriage and it affects all states within the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals: Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the following statement regarding the potential change to marriage laws in Utah:
“The Church has been consistent in its support of marriage between a man and a woman and teaches that all people should be treated with respect. In anticipation that the case will be brought before the U.S. Supreme Court, it is our hope that the nation’s highest court will uphold traditional marriage.”
LDS.net will continue to update the story and new information becomes available.
Article Update: June 25, 2014 2:10 pm
