LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, according to a ruling Wednesday by a federal judge, who struck down part of the state ban that he wrote treated “gay and lesbian persons differently in a way that demeans them.”
In his 23-page a ruling, U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II concluded that the government may define marriage and attach benefits to it but cannot “impose a traditional or faith-based limitation without a sufficient justification for it.”
“Assigning a religious or traditional rationale for a law does not make it constitutional when that law discriminates against a class of people without other reasons,” Heyburn wrote.
The decision in the socially conservative state comes against the backdrop of similar rulings or actions in states across the country.
The constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was approved by voters in 2004. The ruling only requires Kentucky to recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples performed in other states or countries.
