INDIANA: Marriage Case Begins Tomorrow

One of Indiana's pending marriage equality cases opens tomorrow.

Attorneys will ask the court to compel Indiana to continue to recognize the marriage of a lesbian couple from Munster, as well as to extend the freedom to marry to all Indiana same-sex couples. Friday’s arguments are the latest chapter in a federal lawsuit filed by Lambda Legal in March in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on behalf of five Indiana same-sex couples seeking to overturn Indiana’s gay marriage ban. Judge Richard Young ordered Indiana earlier this month to recognize the out-of-state marriage of Niki Quasney and Amy Sandler. He said not doing so could cause the couple irreparable harm because Quasney has ovarian cancer and doctors do not know how much longer she will live. The judge’s order expired after 28 days, so attorneys are asking Young to now extend the ruling.

The Indiana Attorney General’s office is defending the state.