Saturday, May 31, 2008

Gay Marriage Ban Upheld

"Judge upholds state's ban on gay marriage
Pairing two sentences in amendment was OK, justice rules
By STACY FORSTER
sforster@journalsentinel.com
Posted: May 31, 2008

Madison - A Dane County judge upheld Wisconsin's constitutional ban on gay marriage and substantially similar legal relationships on Friday, saying the amendment was properly presented to voters in a November 2006 statewide referendum." JS Online: Judge upholds state's ban on gay marriage

Dane County Circuit Judge Richard G. Niess said the pairing of two sentences in the amendment - one addressing marriage and the other similar legal relationships, such as civil unions - did not violate a provision in the Wisconsin Constitution that says if more than one amendment is submitted, voters must be able to vote for or against each amendment separately.

The case was brought by Bill McConkey, who lives in Door County and teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

McConkey said he was offended by the amendment because one of his seven daughters is gay and he thinks it unfairly takes protections away from certain people.

McConkey's lawsuit raised several objections to the amendment, but Niess left open only the question of whether the amendment was properly presented to voters.

2 comments:

Charlotte Robinson said...

Marriage is a basic civil right that should be attainable by all Americans if they choose. For those who are uncomfortable with gay marriage check out our short produced to educate & defuse the controversy. It has a way of opening closed minds & provides some sanity on the issue: www.OUTTAKEonline.com

Paul - Berry Laker said...

Charlotte, thanks for the comment, open discussion is what is great about this country , free speech. People may agree with ruling like me or disagree. At least we can have open debate without the nastiness.