Colorado advocates of gay marriage watched anxiously Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that would decide whether gay marriages here would be recognized elsewhere.
“We’re lucky that we’ve had marriage equality since October, but currently if a person who marries in Colorado moves to a state that bans marriage, (the marriage license) might not be honored,” Laura “Pinky” Reinsch, spokeswoman for One Colorado, a gay-rights organization, said after the hearing. “If the court rules in favor of gay marriage, folks from Colorado can move to any part of the country and their marriage license will be legal.”
The Obergefell vs. Hodges case out of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was argued before the Tuesday, and its ramifications will be felt throughout the country.
The court could decide as early as late June on whether gay-marriage bans are legal, according to legal experts. The court also will deal with the question of whether gay-marriage licenses filed in one state should be deemed valid in all states.
Colorado began issuing marriage licenses legally to same-sex couples after then-Attorney General John Suthers on Oct. 7 gave clearance to all 64 county clerks.
“I’m more concerned than I thought I would be,” Michelle Alfredsen said Tuesday afternoon after listening much of the day to pundits weighing in on which way justices are likely to vote. “In 2015, your equal rights shouldn’t depend on which ZIP code you happen to live in or state line. I hope by 2016, we will no longer have to debate this issue.”
Alfredsen and her wife, Wendy, were the first couple to receive a license last summer when Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Hillary Hall started issuing licenses to gay couples.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, denverpost.com/coldcases or twitter.com/kirkmitchell
