By John Monk
jmonk@thestate.com
jmonk@thestate.com
Posted: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014
COLUMBIA Federal Judge Richard Gergel of Charleston overturned state law and ruled Wednesday that couples of the same sex have a right under the U.S. Constitution to marry in South Carolina.
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| Colleen Condon, left, and her partner Nichols Bleckley appear at a news conference in Charleston, S.C., on Oct. 15, 2014, shortly after filing a federal lawsuit seeking the right to marry in South Carolina Photo courtesy of: BRUCE SMITH - Associated Press |
Gergel’s decision is the first ruling in a South Carolina federal court that clearly states that state government has no compelling interest – nor does it have a right – to ban same-sex marriages.
“State laws that run contrary to constitutionally protected rights of individuals cannot be allowed to stand,” wrote Gergel, striking down a 2006 amendment to the state constitution that said that only marriages between a man and a woman are legal and valid, as well a 1996 state law that outlawed gay marriages.
In his 26-page ruling, filed shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, Gergel quoted from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in a Virginia case, saying....
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Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/11/12/5309267/sc-same-sex-marriage-ban-overturned.html#.VGOV4fmcJSE#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/11/12/5309267/sc-same-sex-marriage-ban-overturned.html#.VGOV4fmcJSE#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/11/12/5309267/sc-same-sex-marriage-ban-overturned.html#.VGOV4fmcJSE#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/11/12/5309267/sc-same-sex-marriage-ban-overturned.html#.VGOV4fmcJSE#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/11/12/5309267/sc-same-sex-marriage-ban-overturned.html#.VGOV4fmcJSE#storylink=cpy
