Federal judge grants injunction against Kansas’ same-sex marriage ban
A federal judge has granted an injunction against Kansas’ same-sex marriage ban, and couples will be able to apply for marriage licenses there by Nov. 11, according a ruling filed in federal court on Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree granted the injunction in Topeka on Tuesday afternoon, finding the Kansas law that bars same-sex couples from marrying to be unconstitutional.
The order, which bars Kansas authorities from enforcing the state law, was stayed until Nov. 11 to allow the Kansas Department of Health to appeal.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in October on behalf of a pair of same-sex couples whose applications for marriage licenses were rejected.
More than 30 states, and the District of Columbia, are now allowing same-sex couples to marry as the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear appeals of numerous federal rulings overturning bans on same-sex marriage.
Last month, bans were overturned in Alaska, Arizona and Wyoming.
For one of the couples who filed suit, Kail Marie and Michelle Brown, Tuesday’s ruling ends a more than 20-year wait to tie the knot, said Doug Bonney, legal director for the Kansas chapter of the ACLU.
“I’m pretty excited,” Bonney told the Los Angeles Times. “Marriage is just about here in Kansas.”
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