Four gay couples represented by the
ACLU on Tuesday filed a lawsuit demanding Utah officials recognize
their marriages as valid.
A federal judge on December 20 struck
down Utah's ban on gay marriage. For 17 days before the Supreme
Court granted a stay in the ruling, Utah was the 18th
state to legalize same-sex marriage. During that time, more than
1,300 gay couples exchanged vows.
Governor Gary Herbert, a Republican,
ordered the marriages put “on hold” pending an appeal in the
case, Kitchen v. Herbert.
“The moment plaintiffs solemnized
their marriages in accordance with Utah law, they immediately
obtained vested rights in the validity and recognition of their
marriages under Utah law,” the
complaint reads. “Those vested rights are protected by the Due
Process Clauses of the Utah and United States Constitutions and must
be recognized regardless of the ultimate outcome of the Kitchen
litigation.”