JACKSON, Miss– Same sex marriage in Mississippi was voted down twice before, but a federal judge has overruled that ban.
The federal command came down Tuesday evening, but U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves did place a two week hold on that order to allow the state time to appeal.
Governor Phil Bryant had previously announced that an appeal would be filed should the ban be overturned. That appeal would be made to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Governor Phil Bryant and Attorney General Jim Hood had already written Judge Reeves during the November 13th hearing asking him to preserve Mississippi’s marriage laws.
In Judge Reeve’s ruling and order statement, he lays out a series of questions to be answered, and says answering yes to any of these should mean that gay and lesbian couples should be granted the same rights as straight couples:
Can gay and lesbian citizens love?
Can gay and lesbian citizens have long-lasting and committed relationships?
Can gay and lesbian citizens love and care for children?
Can gay and lesbian citizens provide what is best for their children?
Can gay and lesbian citizens help make their children good and productive citizens?
Without the right to marry, are gay and lesbian citizens subjected to humiliation and
indignity?
Without the right to marry, are gay and lesbian citizens subjected to state-sanctioned
prejudice?
“Judge Reeves’ ruling today affirms what we already know to be true – that all loving, committed Mississippi couples should have the right to marry,” said Human Rights Campaign Mississippi director Rob Hill.
