Mountain West Marriages
Yesterday, New Mexico’s Supreme Court formally confirmed same-sex marriage statewide. And today, a Federal court in Utah struck down that state’s ban on same-sex marriages, in a ruling which no longer raises eyebrows: the ban fails the rational basis test:
This will take a little while to work through appeals.
While the trend carries the scent of inevitability, we should bear in mind that Utah would be the eighteenth state to have same-sex marriage should today’s ruling ultimately stick, and the population count is not yet a majority of the country living in jurisdictions that have marriage equality. Political and legal winds do sometimes shift course.
So it’s important to celebrate each state’s laws moving forward, and today, couples in Utah and New Mexico have something very, very good to celebrate. Congratulations!
I really hope that Colorado does so soon. The parents of my sister’s partner are getting older, and they want to have a real marriage celebration, just like my wife and I had this summer (which they helped put on).Report
Hells yeah. What’s up with Utah? My wife and I were talking about the Greatest Places to Live on This Earth, and she said Colorado. And I agreed. With a caveat: Utah would be the best place except for their fushed up Laws.
So this is great news to me.
And since you’re here Burt: what do you think about the constitutionality of Utah’s prohibition on obtaining abortion coverage from private insurers?
As a result, the American public along with many state legislators are now seeking a way to prohibit insurance coverage of most abortions in their states. Currently, eight states have laws, dating back as far as 1978, that prohibit private insurance plans operating within their states from covering most abortions. Four of these laws were enacted in 2011. All eight have an exception for when the mother’s life is at risk and one state permits coverage under more circumstances. Notably, every state but Utah explicitly permits abortion coverage through the purchase of an optional rider and payment of an additional premium.Report
I really miss Colorado. Fortunately, starting tomorrow, my wife and I are going to spend the next 9 days there.Report
Awesome!
Pierre, I thought you didlive here. Did you move recently?Report
Actually, I was born and raised in Colorado (Denver proper). But I moved to Chicago in 2003.Report
I was raised in Chicago and have lived out here (+/-) since ’82. It was a hard place to leave, actually, once I got a feel of the city. It’s a great place. (Except for the weather, which suggs.)
Do you live downtown?Report
I live in Ukrainian Village, near Chicago Ave. and Western, about 3 or 4 miles from the Loop.
Where in Colorado do you live? My sister lives in Denver, but I have family in Brighton and Aravada and Highlands Ranch.Report
I live in Longmont. A Proud Homeowner! It was the only place we could afford to buy that worked for us. Both my wife and I would love to live in Lyons, and our roots (Colorado) roots are in Boulder. (Which has become even more overbearing than it was, so I don’t miss it that much.)
I grew up in Oak Park and as a kid took the train down to the city regularly. Later, we moved to Evanston, which is a realy great town. And when I moved out, I took an apartment on the near north side – where Clark, Broadway and Diversey meet – which was soooo much fun. My place was a block and a half from the lake; I was within walking distance to about 5 classic Blues joints; great food all over the place; used record and book stores galore. Wrigley was a five minute train ride away, the Loop was ten. We’d go to day-games and hit the Italian restaurant on the way back, and they’d bring out glasses of free red wine to all of us waiting outside for a table. It was really awesome. Man, what a great place.Report
@stillwater
I know that area you used to live at near Diversey and Clark and Broadway, although it’s probably changed a lot (more gentrified?…I don’t know) from when you lived there. I like it, but I’m such a homebody that we hardly go there.
My wife and I have a nice Italian place we go to where they give us free wine. I’m not much of a wine drinker, but it’s a nice place.
I’ve only been to Longmont a few times. But I went to Boulder for my MA and yes, it can be overbearing and is probably more so now than 13 years ago or so when I lived there. My nephew works (or at least used to) in Longmont.Report
I think you mean Brooklyn 🙂
This is a federal court decision so it has to go through the process before it really sticks but it is an interesting test case.
New Mexico was legislative so that is more holding power.Report
Dude, you got no mountains in Brooklyn. Or desert. That’s two strikes before we even start haggling.Report
Colorado does not have the ocean and beaches though. New York does. Whats life without a beach?Report
Au Contraire, Stillwater
A lack of desert is a perfect example of why Brooklyn/New York rules. One needs trees and water (Ocean preferred) and major museums and restaurants and cultural institutions. One does not need the desert.
Mountains are nice.Report
Burt, assuming the Utah decision is appealed, what do you think happens? My bet would be it’s overturned by the Circuit and the Supreme Court doesn’t hear an appeal of that. I mean, it’s great and all, but it’s not like there’s any consensus or precedent that a state’s banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional per se.Report
A circuit split would be the fast ticket to SCOTUS review, so if the 10th goes “no way is there a Federal right” and, say, the 2nd saying “yes, way, a Federal right is there,” then we are on our way to Constitution Avenue.
But I wouldn’t be so fast to assume the 10th will overturn. Depends on the panel draw.Report
What’s the case in the 2nd Circuit?Report
Windsor, I presume.Report
Why would it be Windsor? Windsor was explicitly about DOMA and not gay marriage as a right?
And the correct presumption is always for Dr. Livingstone.Report