Gay marriage was officially legalized in Arizona today, October 17, 2014. In a very brief, four-page opinion, Federal District Court Judge John Sedwick held that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling striking down gay marriage bans in Idaho and Nevada as unconstitutional was controlling in Arizona and that Arizona’s gay marriage ban was likewise unconstitutional.
Attorney General Tom Horne wisely chose not to appeal Judge Sedwick’s ruling, reasoning that the odds of the 9th Circuit’s reversing Judge Sedwick were “zero”, and that the odds of the Supreme Court’s taking review of the case were also “zero.” Rather than pursuing a futile appeal that would be an enormous waste of taxpayer resources, Horne directed the clerks of court to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples immediately. Same sex couples have been obtaining marriage licenses and marrying throughout the afternoon today.
With this decision, not only will gay marriages performed in Arizona from today forward be valid, but all same-sex marriages legally performed in other states will now be recognized in Arizona. Unfortunately, some marriages, including same-sex marriages, will end in divorce. I and my staff at Scoresby Family Law reaffirm our commitment to provide outstanding representation to all of our divorce and family law clients regardless of their sexual orientation.
Copyright © 2014 by Scoresby Family Law – J. Kyle Scoresby, P.C. All rights reserved.