Julia Amos, et al. v. Michele Higgins

Three plaintiffs – Julia Amos, Wendy Downing, and Leisha Hendrix – were unable to obtain marriage licenses because they are engaged to individuals who are incarcerated. The Moniteau County Recorder of Deeds refused to issue marriage licenses unless both prospective spouses appeared at her office in person. The ACLU filed a lawsuit on their behalf on Jan. 14, 2014.

“Missouri’s law makes it impossible for people in jail to get married—depriving them of a fundamental constitutional right,” said Tony Rothert, legal director for the ACLU of Missouri (ACLU-MO). “The government should be in the business of encouraging and supporting committed relationships, not preventing couples from being married.”

On Feb. 6, 2014, Judge Gary A. Fenner declared unconstitutional Missouri’s statutory requirement that marriage license applicants appear in person before the Recorder of Deeds.