COLORADO: Federal Marriage Suit Filed

Six same-sex couples today filed a federal lawsuit against Colorado’s ban on same-sex marriage.

“In direct violation of the United States Constitution, Colorado law unlawfully denies the issuance of marriage licenses, and refuses to recognize the legal marriages of same-sex couples performed in other states, based solely on the sex of the persons in the marriage union,” the group’s lawyer, Mari Newman, said. Newman said the plaintiffs want the right to legally recognized marriage by the State of Colorado. It comes after the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage ruling that it violated the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection and due process. The court, however, put its decision on hold until the case could be heard by the Supreme Court. The lawsuit filed Tuesday names Gov. John Hickenlooper, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson and Denver Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson as defendants.

Two state-level lawsuits remain pending in Colorado.