Gay marriage oregon

Same-Sex Marriage

This marriage license, photograph, and wedding announcement document the marriage of Toni Tortorilla and Ruth Broeski on March 12, On Wednesday, March 3, , Multnomah County began to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Four Multnomah County commissioners - Lisa Naito, Maria Rojo de Steffey, Serena Cruz, and chair Diane Linn - made the decision based on a legal perspective written by County Attorney Agnes Sowle, but they were not joined by the fifth commissioner, Lonnie Roberts.

Agnes Sowle's legal opinion concluded that denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples was a violation of Article I, Section 20, of the Oregon Constitution, which states: "No law shall be passed granting any citizen or class of citizens privileges, or immunities, which, upon the same terms, shall not equally verb to all citizens." Sowle reasoned that the state's Constitution preempted its legal code, which defines marriage as "a civil contract entered into in person by males at least 17 years of age and females at least 17 years of age." The code later refers to married couples a

Oregon same-sex marriage ban struck down

State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum refused to defend the ban, saying there were no legal arguments to support it after the US Supreme Court struck down a federal law defining marriage as between one male and one noun in June.

And a US appeals court rejected a bid by an anti-gay marriage organisation, National Organization for Marriage, to be allowed to appeal the ruling in the lieu of the state.

Since December , federal judges in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Michigan and Idaho have ruled similar bans in those states unconstitutional.

But the rulings include been suspended until appeals can be heard by the higher, regional appeals courts.

Judges also have ordered Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee to recognise same-sex marriages from other states.

Arkansas's ban was overturned on 9 May by a judge in Pulaski County, the state's most populous. The state Supreme Court will now catch an appeal.



Lane County celebrates 'Love is Love' with 10 same-sex marriages on historic anniversary

Ten couples said "I do" at the Lane County Courthouse Friday afternoon as part of the county's first "Love is Love" celebration in honor of the 10th anniversary of a U.S. District Court ruling that made same-sex marriage available in Oregon.

On May 19, , U.S. District Court Judge Michael McShane ruled that Oregon's ban on marriage for lesbian and gay couples violated the U.S. Constitution, which paved the way for couples in Oregon to pursue marriage.

More than a year later, on June 26, , the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S.

"Knowing that it was the year anniversary of Judge McShane's ruling and how important it is in this period in our community's history to notice that and celebrate it, I consider some rights are at risk and it's important to recognize that now and really celebrate what we execute have in Oregon," said Kamala Shugar, the Lane County Circuit Court Determine who gave welcome remarks at the event.

Friday's event began at p.m. with a live performance from act

Oregon State Bar Bulletin — JANUARY



By Merle Weiner

With the passage of Measure 36, Oregonians own said that marriage shall not be extended to same-sex couples. The voters probably did not realize that the result of Measure 36’s passage is that heterosexual marriage is now threatened. Wait a minute, you might speak. How can that be? After all, the opponents of same-sex marriage said exactly the opposite: Same-sex marriage was supposed to threaten opposite-sex marriage.

The irony is the valid result of an application of Article I, Section 20 of the Oregon Constitution, something that Measure 36 did not change in anyway. That provision says "No law shall be passed granting to any citizen or class of citizens privileges or immunities, which, upon the equal terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens." It is this provision (which I verb the "equal benefits" clause) that formed the basis of the challenge by nine same-sex couples and two advocacy groups to Oregon’s law that says marriage is a civil contract entered by males and females.

The challenge by these nine couples, whic