A federal judge in Nashville issued a preliminary injunction against Tennessee's same-sex marriage ban on Friday, according to the Tennessean.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three same-sex couples who moved to Tennessee after being married in states where their unions were recognized. Tennessee does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions. The court's ruling applies only to these three couples until the court reviews the case at a later time.
“At this point, all signs indicate that, in the eyes of the United States Constitution, the plaintiffs’ marriages will be placed on an equal footing with those of heterosexual couples and that proscriptions against same-sex marriage will soon become a footnote in the annals of American history,” Judge Aleta Arthur Trauger wrote in the order, according to the Tennessean.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 decision to invalidate a federal law barring the recognition of same-sex unions, states refusing to recognize gay marriages performed in outside states have faced a growing flurry of legal challenges.
The couples in Friday's ruling were Dr. Valeria Tanco and Dr. Sophy Jesty of Knoxville; Army Reserve Sergeant First Class Ijpe DeKoe and Thom Kostura of Memphis; and Matthew Mansell and Johno Espejo of Franklin. They were represented by Nashville attorney Abby Rubenfeld.
To read Judge Trauger's decision, see BuzzFeed.
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