MINNESOTA: Appeals Court Overturns Dismissed Marriage Equality Suit

A Minnesota appeals court has ruled that a dismissed lawsuit for marriage equality must be returned to the lower court for another hearing.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three same-sex couples [left], will now return to Hennepin County District Court, where it will likely proceed to trial as debate heats up over a statewide vote next fall to ban gay marriage in Minnesota. In its order, the appeals court ruled that a district judge threw out the lawsuit before properly analyzing the couples' equal-protection, due-process and freedom-of-association claims. The couples, on behalf of Marry Me Minnesota, sued Hennepin County Registrar Jill Alverson and the State of Minnesota in 2010 after Alverson's office denied them applications for marriage licenses, citing the Minnesota Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The couples argued that DOMA was unconstitutional.

Follow the case on Marry Me Minnesota.