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Indiana Advocates Say SCOTUS's Hands Tied In Gay Marriage Case

Stan Jastrzebski
/
WBAA News

The U.S. Supreme Court Friday agreed it will rule on the validity of same sex marriage in all 50 states.  The Court’s move creates the possibility that gay marriage could become illegal in Indiana once again, but lawyers representing gay couples in the state think it's unlikely the high court could reverse several earlier decisions.

The Supreme Court in October opted not to hear appeals in several same sex marriage cases, allowing gay marriages to proceed in 11 states.  But since then, the 6th Circuit upheld gay marriage bans in four states – Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, becoming the only federal appeals court to do so. 

ACLU-Indiana legal director Ken Falk says the Sixth Circuit’s decision essentially forced the Supreme Court into taking on the issue.  He says if the nation’s high court allows states to decide the issue of marriage, Indiana could reinstate its gay marriage ban.  But Falk says he doesn’t see it going that way.

“There’s a lot that has happened now and we can’t turn back the hands of time," he says. "The Court’s not going to be in a position where it, in essence, voids tens of thousands of marriages around the country; that seems untenable.”

After the Supreme Court’s decision in October, Indiana’s traditional marriage supporters expressed hope the justices would revisit the issue.  A final ruling will likely come before the Court’s term ends in June.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.