Current Same-Sex Marriage Litigation

FEDERAL COURT

Minnesota

• Baker v. IRS (In May 2004, a same-sex couple filed suit in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota challenging as unconstitutional the IRS's refusal to permit them to amend their 2000 tax returns to reflect their status as “married, filing jointly”).

Florida

• Sullivan v. Bush (an unmarried same-sex couple brought suit in U.S. District Court for Southern District of Florida challenging state marriage laws and the Federal DOMA as unconstitutional).
• Taylor v. Bush (in response to Sullivan v. Bush, Liberty Counsel commenced a declaratory judgment action in U.S. District Court for Southern District of Florida, seeking order declaring marriage laws constitutional).

Massachusetts

• Largess v. SJC (in an effort to invalidate all or a part of the Goodridge decision, Liberty Counsel brought suit in federal court arguing that the Goodridge decision violates the federal guarantee of a republican form of government insofar as the court expressly performed a legislative function in redefining the word “marriage”; the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on June 29, 2004, that the Federal Guarantee Clause was not violated by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision. A petition will be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court requesting review of the case).

Nebraska

• Citizens for Equal Protection, Inc. v. Bruning (gay-rights advocacy organization challenged Nebraska's constitutional amendment, which prohibits same-sex marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships, as unconstitutional; the District Court denied the state's motion to dismiss the case, suggesting that the state constitutional amendment may violate the federal constitutional guarantees, as articulated in Romer v. Evans).

STATE COURT