A federal judge has issued a partial stay on his own ruling, limiting it now to just the four couples who filed the lawsuit. Judge Timothy Black on Monday had ruled that the state of Ohio must recognize the out-of-state legal civil marriages of all same-sex couples. Today, Judge Black limited that ruling.
Judge Black, as the Washington Blade reports, allowed his ruling to apply to the four couples “because they adopted children or are awaiting children and are seeking to have both parents’ names appear on their children’s birth certificates.”
“The same considerations and costs do not attach to plaintiffs’ as-applied claims, however, as plaintiffs have demonstrated that a stay will irreparably harm them individually due to the imminent births of their children and other time-sensitive concerns, (as well as due to the continuing constitutional violations),†Black writes.
Judge Black last year ordered the state of Ohio to recognize one same-sex couple’s marriage, noting that not doing so would likely be considered discrimination and therefore unconstitutional. One member of the couple was terminally ill.
Because of all this, an Ohio state Representative is attempting to impeach Judge Black over his marriage rulings.