Judge strikes down Indiana's same-sex marriage ban

A federal court struck down Indiana's ban on same-sex marriages in a sweeping ruling on Wednesday, allowing same-sex couples to marry immediately.

US District Court Judge Richard Young's ruling, like other cases, said the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause guarantees marriage equality rights for same-sex couples.

"The court has never witnessed a phenomenon throughout the federal court system as is presented with this issue""The court has never witnessed a phenomenon throughout the federal court system as is presented with this issue," Young wrote. "In less than a year, every federal district court to consider the issue has reached the same conclusion in thoughtful and thorough opinions — laws prohibiting the celebration and recognition of same-sex marriages are unconstitutional. It is clear that the fundamental right to marry shall not be deprived to some individuals based solely on the person they choose to love."

Young applied no stay to the ruling, meaning marriages were allowed to take effect immediately. But a court of appeals put the ruling on hold Friday as it works through the appeals process, which effectively ended new same-sex marriages from this point forward.

As Young noted in his ruling, his decision is just the latest in a string of opinions issued by courts in favor of same-sex marriage rights. Most recently, courts struck down same-sex marriage bans in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Oregon.

Further reading

• A complete victory for marriage equality could be a year away
• The 3 simple steps to nationwide marriage equality
• The origins of LGBT Pride Month

Update: Incorporated the appeal court's stay.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via