Judges order Arizona and Indiana to recognize gay ‘marriages’ on death certificates
U.S. Supreme Court building. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Two federal judges have ordered Arizona and Indiana to recognize same-sex “ marriages ” on death certificates, although both states have laws defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. In Arizona, Judge John Sedwick ordered the state to issue a death certificate for George Martinez listing his marital status as “married” and his spouse as Fred McQuire. The two were “married” in California in July, and Martinez died in September. They had previously sued Arizona to recognize their out-of-state “marriage” as legal – a case that is still ongoing. In his decision, Sedwick said that the majority of federal appeals courts have found that “marriage laws which discriminate between heterosexual couples and homosexual couples infringe a fundamental right.” He said he thought it was likely that Arizona’s marriage protection law will soon be overturned. Sedwick’s decision ...