Constitutional amendments in
Mississippi and Arkansas limiting marriage to heterosexual couples
approved by voters in 2004 were struck down Tuesday by federal
judges.
In Arkansas, U.S. District Judge
Kristine Baker sided with two lesbian couples challenging the ban,
while U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves struck down Mississippi's
ban.
Reeves said that Mississippi's ban
violated the Fourteenth Amendment.
“The Fourteenth Amendment operates to
remove the blinders of inequality from our eyes,” Reeves wrote in
his ruling. “Though we cherish our traditional values, they
must give way to constitutional wisdom. Mississippi's traditional
beliefs about gay and lesbian citizens led it to defy that wisdom by
taking away fundamental rights owed to every citizen. It is time to
restore those rights.”
Both judges put their rulings on hold,
giving state officials an opportunity to consider appeals.
The Campaign for Southern Equality
(CSE) filed the lawsuit challenging Mississippi's ban last month.
“This is a big day since it means
that gay Mississippians will have the right to be married in their
own home state that they love so much,” said lead counsel Roberta
Kaplan. “It is also a big day for our country and for our
Constitution, since it means that Americans in yet another state can
now appreciate that gay people, who are their neighbors, friends and
family members, have the right to equal protection of the laws.”