Lambda Legal and the ALCU Take on Illinois re: Marriage Equality

This morning the ACLU and Lambda Legal announced it is filing two lawsuit on the behalf of 25 gay and lesbian couples in Illinois.  Each couple attempted to get a marriage license at the Cook County Courthouse, but was denied due to the state’s Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, which prohibits same sex marriage.  The lawsuit claims the law violates the Illinois state  constitution’s equal protection and due processes clauses.

It looks like activists are going to have to challenge marriage equality in the courts rather than rely on the legislature to act fairly.  It seems with the victories in the Prop 8 case as well as the five federal judges ruling DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act), that the judiciary may decide marriage equality, much like it did with interracial marriage in the 60’s.

It seems to me that the more court cases we have to refer to when we reach the Supreme Court, the better.

Read about the lawsuits here.