MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A group of same-sex couples has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s ban on gay marriage.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit for the couples in federal court in Madison on the morning of Feb. 3. The lawsuit argues that 17 states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex couples to marry. It goes on to say Wisconsin’s ban deprives same-sex couples of the legal protections afforded married couples for no reason other than their sexual orientation and gay Wisconsin couples who go out-of-state to marry could face prosecution when they return.
The lawsuit names Gov. Scott Walker and Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen as defendants. Spokespeople for both Walker and Van Hollen didn’t immediately return messages.
A 2006 amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution bars gay marriage or anything substantially similar.
