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Judge scheduled to "officially" rule in same-sex case

Ann Thompson
/
WVXU

Monday is the day Federal Judge Timothy Black says he will rule in the case of four same-sex couples who want to get their names on their children's birth certificates.

Their request goes beyond what attorney Al Gerhardstein had originally asked in the February lawsuit. He broadened it to request the judge strike down a portion of Ohio's gay marriage ban, passed by voters in 2004.

On April 4, Judge Black surprised the plaintiffs and reporters by announcing how he would rule. He said he would strike down those portions of Ohio law that block recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states.

The ruling will only apply to the marriage recognition ban. The lawsuit did not seek to allow same-sex partners to get married in Ohio, just the recognition of marriages from other states.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine told WVXU that he is not surprised by Black’s ruling; and will appeal to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting.