Kansas Supreme Court allows more same-sex marriages
Krista Casmaer, left, and Mindy Kufahl trade wedding bands with Kufahl's daughter Phoebe Edgerton-Kufahl, 7, as witness during a mass same-sex marriage ceremony on the steps of the Historic Sedgwick County Courthouse in Wichita, Kansas on Monday.
TOPEKA, Kan. >> The Kansas Supreme Court has cleared the way for additional gay marriages in the state.
The court on Tuesday evening lifted its hold on marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Johnson County. The justices last month blocked such licenses while reviewing a petition from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
But the Kansas court did not address whether the state’s ban on gay marriage is constitutional. It said it wouldn’t consider the issue until the federal courts resolve a lawsuit filed month on behalf of two lesbian couples.
The U.S. Supreme Court last week told the state it couldn’t continue enforcing its gay-marriage ban while the ACLU’s lawsuit makes its way through the federal courts.
Since then, gay couples have been getting married in some, but not all Kansas counties.
