A federal judge has just ruled that the state of Indiana must recognize the legal civil marriage of a same-sex couple, Amy Sandler and Niki Quasney. Quasney is terminally ill with ovarian cancer which was diagnosed in 2009. The ruling, an emergency temporary restraining order, stands for 28 days.
Noting that today’s ruling “allows the couple to access certain benefits available only to couples who already are legally married in Indiana,”  the Indiana Star reports that the couple had “argued that the emergency request for recognition is about dignity and recognizing a family.”
Meanwhile, the state of Indiana, the Star notes, had “argued that its definition of marriage is based on protections for children who come out of unplanned pregnancies and that granting temporary restraining orders are not a matter of emotional equity but of legal rights.”
Lambda Legal is representing the couple, who are part of a lawsuit that includes several other couples. This ruling only applies to Sandler and Quasney.
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Hat tip: Freedom to Marry
Image via Lambda Legal