Ohio attorney general appeals federal judge's order to recognize out-of-state gay marriages

5/9/2014
ASSOCIATED PRESS

CINCINNATI — Ohio officials have appealed a federal judge’s order to recognize the marriages of gay couples who wed in other states.

The state attorney general’s office filed a notice of appeal with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati today. The state is appealing federal Judge Timothy Black’s ruling ordering Ohio to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples that were performed in other states.

Most of Black’s April 14 ruling was put on hold pending the anticipated appeal.

Black ruled that Ohio’s refusal to recognize gay marriage is a violation of constitutional rights and “unenforceable in all circumstances.”

Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine has said that marriage is between a man and a woman and that he will continue defending Ohio’s voter-approved gay marriage ban.