OHIO: Judge Mistakenly OK’s Gay Divorce

Via the Columbus Dispatch:

An Athens County judge approved the county’s first same-sex divorce last week, but not intentionally. Athens County Common Pleas Judge George McCarthy, who approved the divorce on Nov. 25, said the next day that he was unaware that both parties were women when he signed the judgment. “Ohio goes through great pains to make things gender-neutral (in documents),” he said. This week, he said he plans to hold a hearing in the next few weeks so the two women have a chance to tell their story and he can offer his reasoning for why he likely will vacate his ruling on their divorce. He cited a federal appeals court decision last month that upheld Ohio’s statewide ban on same-sex marriage. McCarthy said that decision likely invalidated his judgment to grant a divorce to the former couple.

(Tipped by JMG reader Delmer)