Same-Sex Couples Sue State of Montana over Gay Marriage Ban
On the heels of a U.S. District Judge striking down Oregon's same-sex marriage ban, now four couples are suing the state of Montana.
The couples have filed suit in Federal Court in Great Falls, and are seeking to overturn the ban that was passed by voters in 2004.
The ACLU is assisting with the case. ACLU officials say "It isn't the government's place to stand in the way of someone's happiness."
North and South Dakota are now the only states that currently are not facing lawsuits seeking to overturn their same-sex marriage bans. The Supreme Court last year overturned the 1996 Federal Defense of Marriage Act, which legal experts say has set the precedent for a wave of state lawsuits.
Oregon's ban had been passed by voters in 2004 as well, but the State Attorney General had been refusing to uphold the ban since late 2013.