ARIZONA: Second Marriage Suit Filed

In January, four Arizona gay couples filed a class action suit against the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Yesterday a second lawsuit was filed in federal court by Lambda Legal.

The complaint was filed on behalf of seven Arizona couples, a Phoenix widower and a Tucson widow to overturn a 2008 amendment to the Arizona Constitution that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Every day that same-sex couples in Arizona are denied marriage, the government sends a message that their families are not worthy of equal dignity and respect," said Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Jennifer C. Pizer. The lead plaintiffs are a Scottsdale couple, Nelda Majors, 75, and Karen Bailey, 74, who have been together for more than 55 years. They have raised Bailey's great-grandnieces as their own daughters since the children were toddlers. They are now 15 and 21 years old.

Read the full filing here.