BREAKING NEWS: Obama administration will recognize same-sex marriages performed in Utah
Today, Jan. 10, the Justice Department announced that the approximately 1,000 same-sex marriages recently performed in Utah will be federally recognized until the current court battle is fully resolved.
In a videotaped message, Attorney General Eric Holder said the federal government will work to ensure that same-sex spouses in Utah will receive, in a timely manner, every federal benefit enjoyed by heterosexual married couples while the current court proceedings play out.
“These families should not be asked to endure uncertainty regarding their status as the litigation unfolds,” Holder said.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s office had sent out a letter to State Cabinet officials on Wednesday stating that recognition of same-sex marriages would be placed on hold in Utah until further notice. Today’s contrary announcement from the federal government will likely add to the legal chaos already ensuing over the constitutionality of same-sex marriage that is taking place in Utah and several other states.
On Monday, the Supreme Court justices blocked a district court’s ruling that would have allowed same-sex marriages to continue taking place in Utah throughout the appeals process, as the state fights U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby’s Dec. 20 ruling that Utah’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional.
Oral arguments could be heard in a federal appeals court as early as March. The final ruling could additionally affect gay marriage in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
Written by Cami Cox
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