OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says a federal appeals court ruling that struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is an example of federal courts trampling on the rights of states to govern themselves.
Fallin issued a statement today after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver struck down Oklahoma’s constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Fallin says she hopes the decision is eventually overturned. She says she will continue to fight the federal government when it seeks to ignore or change laws written and supported by Oklahomans.
Today’s ruling was put on hold pending any appeal, which means gay marriages won’t immediately take place in Oklahoma.
Still, gay rights groups are planning celebrations across the state. Two rallies are planned this evening in Oklahoma City.
Toby Jenkins, who heads a group called Oklahomans for Equality, says he’s excited that the state — in his words — “will be counted among the places where all of its citizens are treated equally.”
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APPHOTO TXKJ101: File – In the April 17, 2014, photo plaintiffs challenging Oklahoma’s gay marriage ban Sharon Baldwin, left, and her partner Mary Bishop leave court following a hearing at the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Thursday, April 17, 2014. The three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Friday, July 18, 2014, found a ban on same-sex marriage in Oklahoma violates the U.S. Constitution. In a Utah case, the court ruled June 25 that gay couples have a constitutional right to wed. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File) (18 Jul 2014)
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