WYOMING: Court Sets October 16th Date For Hearing On Marriage Equality Case

Via press release from the National Center for Lesbian Rights:

On October 16th, U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl of the District of Wyoming will hold a hearing in a federal court challenge to the State of Wyoming’s refusal to permit same-sex couples to marry and to respect the legal marriages of same-sex couples who married in other states.

At the hearing, the court will consider a request by four same-sex couples and Wyoming Equality, who are the plaintiffs in the case, for an immediate order directing state officials to comply with two decisions of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit establishing that a state’s refusal to allow same-sex couples to marry violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let those appeals court decisions stand, meaning that all states within the Tenth Circuit, including Wyoming, must comply with those decisions.

Each of the couples wishes to be married in Wyoming or to have their existing marriage respected by the State of Wyoming. The October 16th hearing will consider the couples’ request for an order requiring the state to immediately permit Wyoming same-sex couples to marry and to treat their marriages the same as all other marriages. The requested order would remain in place while the plaintiffs’ federal case proceeds. The court may rule on the plaintiffs’ request at the hearing, or may issue a ruling at a later date.

The hearing will take place at 10AM Mountain Time.