A lawsuit by three same-sex couples seeking to invalidate Minnesota’s definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman was sent back to Hennepin County District Court after the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Jan. 23 that the lower court improperly dismissed the case.
“This is exactly the type of case that has resulted in same-sex marriage being imposed in other states and highlights the need to enact the Marriage Protection Amendment next November,” Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, said in a statement released by Minnesota for Marriage after the ruling.
“Marriage will now go on trial in Hennepin County and Minnesota citizens will be at the mercy of a judge to maintain our centuries-long definition of marriage,” added Adkins, vice chairman of Minnesota for Marriage.
Ruling in the case of Benson vs. Alverson, the Court of Appeals said the same-sex couples that had sued the state seeking to marry could present the merits of their argument to the trial court, the Minnesota for Marriage statement explained. The trial judge had previously dismissed the case on the grounds that a 1971 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling, Baker vs. Nelson, found that defining marriage as only between one man and one woman is not unconstitutional.
“The court surprisingly concluded that there was a possibility that Minnesota law did not have a reasonable basis for limiting marriage to the union of one man and one woman,” Adkins said.
“Without the Marriage Protection Amendment, marriage will always be just one court ruling away from being redefined,” he added.
Minnesotans will vote on a constitutional amendment this November that would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
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