Last night, lawyers in the case challenging Arizona’s marriage ban filed an urgent motion, calling on the judge to rule in favor of marriage equality in Arizona without delay.
Now that the 9th Circuit—which has jurisdiction over Arizona—has ruled favorably in Nevada and Idaho, Arizona’s marriage ban is legally indefensible. And Judge Sedwick agrees that the 9th Circuit ruling applies to the constitutionality Arizona’s marriage ban.
Filings from both sides are due no later than next Thursday, and once they’re in, the judge could rule on the freedom to marry in the Grand Canyon State.
But that’s not all. Yesterday, after Why Marriage Matters Arizona, same-sex couples and clergy delivered more than 5,000 petitions calling on the Attorney General to drop his defense of Arizona’s marriage ban, AG Tom Horne was quoted saying that his office was “weighing their options.”
This is a huge change from the same man who previously said he would never stop defending Arizona’s marriage ban—and proof that when we stand united, we can make our voices heard—and win.
If all goes well, Arizona could secure the freedom to marry as soon as next week.
Jeremy Zegas, project director for Why Marriage Matter Arizona, cheered the decision and made clear that only one person, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, now stands in the way of the freedom to marry for all Arizona couples:
“This is a monumental step forward for all families in Arizona. Today’s historic ruling affirms what most Arizonans already know to be true: Same-sex couples and their families deserve to be treated equally by their government. With clear precedent from the Ninth Circuit and an obvious signal from the U.S. Supreme Court that this decision will not be put on hold, it's time for Tom Horne to stop defending our state's ban on the freedom to marry. For some families in Arizona, each day that passes without the vital protections marriage offers does irreversible damage. He should step aside and allow a quick resolution of the lawsuits challenging Arizona's ban so all Arizona families can benefit from the security marriage offers."
Why Marriage Matters Arizona is a grassroots public education campaign to build support for the freedom to marry in Arizona. It was founded in 2013 by Equality Arizona, the ACLU Foundation of Arizona, Freedom to Marry and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation with the support and leadership of countless local businesses, clergy and community organizations.
