Attempts Nixed To Block Pa. Same Sex Marriage Lawsuit
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The judge in a federal court challenge to Pennsylvania's 17-year-old law that bans recognition of same-sex marriages is rejecting three different attempts to dismiss the lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III on Friday denied the challenges to the lawsuit by Pennsylvania's Health and Revenue departments and a Bucks County official.
It's a strong sign the case is headed to trial and, potentially, the U.S. Supreme Court. Every northeastern state except Pennsylvania allows same-sex marriage.
The defendants had cited a 1972 Supreme Court case from Minnesota that had said a state law banning same-sex marriages didn't violate the constitution's equal protection and due process clauses.
However, Jones says the court's views of laws on same-sex marriage or sexuality have undergone a "sea change" in four decades.
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