A ruling today by a federal judge in Evansville requires the state of Indiana to recognize the marriage of a Chicago area gay couple.
Starting today Niki Quasney and Amy Sandler are Indiana’s only legally recognized same-sex couple. But only for about a month. That’s because a judge issued a temporary restraining order that expires in 28 days. The longtime couple live outside of Chicago in Munster, Indiana. They got married last year in Massachusetts. Indiana, however, does not allow same-sex marriage. But Quasney is terminally ill with cancer, so they sued to have their marriage recognized -- that way Sandler can receive death benefits afforded other married couples.
Paul Castillo is the couple’s lawyer. He says they are happy the court made the decision to recognize their marriage so she can focus on spending quality time in the days she has left with her family.
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller argued against the injunction. He says state law does not allow for a hardship exception. County clerks in Indiana are still prohibited from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
