On Tuesday, a federal judge in Arkansas struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban.
U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker has ruled that Arkansas’ ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. A stay on the ruling was quickly issued by Baker herself, which will give the state an opportunity to appeal. The stay means that no marriages can take place between same-sex couples — yet.
Baker ruled in favor of two same-sex couples who had challenged the state’s 2004 ban. The two same-sex couples stated that the 2004 ban was in violation of the U.S. Constitution. With Baker’s ruling, this adds another recent victory to marriage equality!
We also saw another huge victory yesterday. Mississippi’s same-sex marriage ban was ruled unconstitutional, as well. See more about that, here.
These decisions come just days after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a temporary injunction to allow same-sex marriages to take place in South Carolina (the 35th state where gay marriage has become legal).
After DOMA was struck down and ruled as unconstitutional in June 2013, many states have followed in this pattern. The landmark case of United States v. Windsor has opened the door for constitutional rights for all same-sex couples throughout America. As of now, gay marriage is legal in more than half of the U.S., and the list continues to grow. Small successes such as South Carolina, Arkansas, and more recently, Mississippi, will allow same-sex couples to have the same rights through marriage as heterosexual couples do.
Thank you U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker! Your ruling will bring much happiness, comfort, and security to gay people in Arkansas.
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