Main | Friday, June 05, 2015

GUAM: Court Strikes Down Marriage Ban

Via Pacific Daily News:
Guam's chief federal judge this morning struck down the local law that restricts marriage to opposite-sex couples. A written opinion is expected Monday and the ruling will take effect on Tuesday. In her ruling, Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood said the laws denying marriage rights to same-sex couples were unconstitutional, citing a previous decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Guam. The ruling came after about an hour and a half of arguments over whether Tydingco-Gatewood was obligated to act immediately in striking down local law. Following her ruling, the courtroom erupted into applause for Loretta M. Pangelinan and Kathleen M. Aguero, the couple who filed the case. Before making their way out, friends, family and supporters lined up in the gallery to offer hugs to the women. Pangelinan and Aguero filed the case in April after they were denied a marriage license application at the Department of Public Health and Social Services. Their attorneys argued that the case had already been decided by the 9th Circuit in 2014 and, as a result, Guam had no choice but to follow suit.

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