Judge orders Ohio to Recognize Gay Marriages Performed in other States

A federal judge in Ohio has ordered that the state must recognizing same-sex marriages legally performed in other jurisdictions.

Federal District Magistrate Timothy Black's ruling declares that Ohio's statutory ban on recognizing legal same-sex marriages performed in other states violates the U.S. Constitution. The ruling does not require Ohio to begin performing same-sex marriages.

"The record before the court, which includes the judicially-noticed record in Obergefell, is staggeringly devoid of any legitimate justification for the State’s ongoing arbitrary discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and, therefore, Ohio’s marriage recognition bans are facially unconstitutional and unenforceable under any circumstances”, Judge Black ruled.

Federal Judge Timothy Black