Supreme Court’s Ruling Won’t Help Same-sex Couples In Illinois Now
From the Chicago Sun-Times
The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Wednesday to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act would do little now for gay and lesbian couples in Illinois.
The ruling that allows equal access to federal benefits will apply only to states that have legalized same-sex marriage.
However, the ruling gave new momentum to so-far failed efforts to legalize same-sex marriage here — but not by way of the Illinois General Assembly.
Illinois’ best chance now, activists and legal experts say, is through an ongoing court battle. They argue that the court’s legal conclusion that it is unconstitutional to deny federal benefits to same-sex married couples bolsters an ongoing Illinois court battle in which legal experts — including Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan — argue that the Illinois constitution already allows for legal same-sex marriages.
“We think this really tees this up in allowing us to move forward in the case,” said Edwin Yohnka, director of communications and public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union. “We have a much stronger hand to play now even than we did in May.”
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Sun-Times
The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Wednesday to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act would do little now for gay and lesbian couples in Illinois.
The ruling that allows equal access to federal benefits will apply only to states that have legalized same-sex marriage.
However, the ruling gave new momentum to so-far failed efforts to legalize same-sex marriage here — but not by way of the Illinois General Assembly.
Illinois’ best chance now, activists and legal experts say, is through an ongoing court battle. They argue that the court’s legal conclusion that it is unconstitutional to deny federal benefits to same-sex married couples bolsters an ongoing Illinois court battle in which legal experts — including Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan — argue that the Illinois constitution already allows for legal same-sex marriages.
“We think this really tees this up in allowing us to move forward in the case,” said Edwin Yohnka, director of communications and public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union. “We have a much stronger hand to play now even than we did in May.”
Read more in our daily News Update...