''Brinkman v. Long'', and its companion case, ''McDaniel-Miccio v. Hickenlooper'', are the lead state court cases on

same-sex marriage in Colorado Same-sex marriage in Colorado has been legally recognized since October 7, 2014. Colorado's state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was struck down in state district court on July 9, 2014, and by the U.S. District Court for the District o ...

. Here, a Colorado district court found on July 9, 2014, that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates same-sex couples' guarantees of equal protection and

due process Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual pers ...

under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ''Brinkman'' and ''McDaniel-Miccio'' have been appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court, where they were dismissed following the dismissal of similar petitions by the U.S. Supreme Court on October 6, 2014.

Introduction

After being denied a marriage license, a lesbian couple filed a lawsuit on October 30, 2013, in the Seventeenth Judicial District. The case, ''Brinkman v. Long'', seeks to overturn the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The couple was joined on February 18, 2014, by nine other same-sex couples who filed a lawsuit, ''McDaniel-Miccio v. Hickenlooper'', also in state district court, seeking the same outcome. Four of the couples are raising children, and five of the couples have married in other states. The suit named Governor John Hickenlooper and Denver City Clerk Debra Johnson as defendants. Hickenlooper responded by noting Colorado's support for civil unions. Johnson said she supported marriage rights for same-sex couples but was obligated to follow the law by denying them marriage licenses. Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican, announced he would defend the state's ban.

District Court proceedings

''Brinkman'' and ''McDaniel-Miccio'' were combined for argument in state district court. Written motions for summary judgment were submitted by May 2, 2014. A

court hearing In law, a hearing is a proceeding before a court or other decision-making body or officer, such as a government agency or a legislative committee. Description A hearing is generally distinguished from a trial in that it is usually shorter and ...

was held on June 16, 2014, in Adams County before state District Judge C. Scott Crabtree, who was reported to be skeptical about the state's position.

Ruling

On July 9, 2014, Judge Crabtree ruled that Colorado's same-sex marriage ban violated the plaintiffs' guarantees of equal protection and due process under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: The judge also noted that because Colorado's

civil unions A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

deny same-sex couples federal benefits provided to different-sex couples, " e existence of civil unions

n Colorado N, or n, is the fourteenth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet# ...

is further evidence of discrimination against same-sex couples and does not ameliorate the discriminatory effect of the Marriage Bans." This argument that civil unions are inherently inferior to marriage had been used successfully before—in ''

Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health ''Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health'', 289 Conn. 135, 957 A.2d 407, is a 2008 decision by the Connecticut Supreme Court holding that allowing same-sex couples to form same-sex unions but not marriages violates the Connecticut Constitution ...

'', the case that recognized same-sex marriage in Connecticut, a decision which Judge Crabtree references; and in ''

Garden State Equality v. Dow ''Garden State Equality v. Dow'', 82 A. 3d 336 (N.J. Super. Ct. Law Div. 2013) is a New Jersey Superior Court case holding that New Jersey's marriage laws violated the rights of Homosexuality, same-sex couples to equal protection of the law under ...

'', the New Jersey case that led to marriage equality there. The judge stayed his ruling pending the outcome of appeals.

Effect of ''Colorado ex rel. Suthers''

Colorado District Judge Andrew Hartman's decision in ''Colorado ex rel. Suthers v. Hall'' provided legal cover for the Boulder County clerk to issue same-sex marriage licenses as a form of civil disobedience. After Hartman's decision was handed down, the Denver County and Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo County clerks began issuing licenses to couples regardless of gender as well, despite Judge Crabtree's stay. When asked to enjoin the Denver County clerk from issuing licenses to same-sex couples, Judge Crabtree refused to take action. On July 14, 2014, Colorado Attorney General Suthers appealed Judge Crabtree's inaction to the Colorado Supreme Court. In a separate filing, and seeking a reversal of Judge Hartman's ruling, the state attorney general also asked the high court for an emergency injunction to stop all state clerks from issuing licenses.

Colorado Supreme Court proceedings

In a July 18, 2014, unanimous order issued ''en banc'', the Colorado Supreme Court rejected the attorney general's request for an emergency injunction—one which would have a statewide effect. However, in light of the previous stay entered by Judge Crabtree but thereafter left unenforced, the Colorado Supreme Court ordered clerks in Adams and Denver counties to stop issuing licenses pursuant to Colorado Appellate Rule 8. That rule grants the high court power to issue a stay where "the trial court ... has failed to afford the relief which the applicant requested", ''Brinkman v. Colorado'', No. 2014-SA-212. On October 6, the U.S. Supreme Court issued orders declining to hear appeals from decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which includes Colorado, in ''Kitchen v. Herbert'' (Utah) and ''Bishop v. United States'' (Oklahoma), which found state bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. On October 7, the Colorado Supreme Court lifted its injunction and dismissed the appeal in this case.

References