Today was a monumental day for the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri. Seven of their 10 courageous plaintiff couples were present at the Jackson County Courthouse when legal director Tony Rothert presented oral arguments in Barrier v. Vasterling, a suit fighting for the recognition of same-sex marriages performed outside of the state of Missouri.
For 30 minutes, Rothert clearly laid out why couples, like Janice Barrier and Sherie Schild, deserve all of the benefits that opposite-sex married couples enjoy. The entire hearing lasted less than an hour and a half.
"It was an honor to give our plaintiffs their day in court," said Rothert. "We were able to highlight the many ways that discrimination against loving, committed couples ends up harming families."
"Missouri has traditionally recognized lawful marriages performed in other states. It is simply wrong to treat same-sex families differently," said Jeffrey A. Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. "Thanks to the hard work of the ACLU and our many LGBT partners, we are nearing the day when discrimination against LGBT families will end. The ACLU's historic 2013 Supreme Court decision in the Edie Windsor case paved the way as state after state removed barriers to marriage. Today, Missouri took a giant step down that path."
Judge J. Dale Youngs said he will make a decision as quickly as possible.
The ACLU of Missouri is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to defending and expanding the constitutional rights and civil liberties of all Missourians guaranteed by the U.S. and Missouri Constitutions, and is an affiliate of the national ACLU.