4 Same-Sex Couples Sue Tennessee Over Gay Marriage
On the same day that New Jersey began allowing same-sex couples to marry, four Tennessee couples filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force the Volunteer State to recognize their legal marriages.
STORY: N.J. gov drops challenge to gay marriage
The lawsuit, sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, argues that Tennessee law discriminates based on sexual orientation.
State law strips same-sex couples of their constitutional rights to due process, equal protection under the law and the right to travel or relocate to another state without having one’s rights taken away, the couples argue in their lawsuit.
“All of the sudden, they’re not married anymore,” lawyer Abby Rubenfeld said. “This case is about recognizing those marriages, it’s a very simple issue.”
To bolster the case, the lawsuit relies heavily upon the U.S. Supreme Court’s March decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act, which forced the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages from states where it is legal.