[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/federal-judge-strikes-down-texas-ban-on-same-sex-marriage\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/federal-judge-strikes-down-texas-ban-on-same-sex-marriage\/","headline":"Federal Judge Strikes Down Texas Ban on Same-Sex Marriage","name":"Federal Judge Strikes Down Texas Ban on Same-Sex Marriage","description":"A\u00a0federal judge in Texas has struck down a ban on same-sex marriage. \u00a0 Texas is making headlines today as the latest state in which a...","datePublished":"2014-02-26","dateModified":"2021-06-25","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/kirsten\/#Person","name":"Kirsten Ott Palladino","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/kirsten\/","identifier":789,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/976931d3a7979cc2fa35b3cc231dcae43d918e04819805bcb68e3c11a00eebae?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/976931d3a7979cc2fa35b3cc231dcae43d918e04819805bcb68e3c11a00eebae?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/holderlogo.png","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/holderlogo.png","height":126,"width":328},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/federal-judge-strikes-down-texas-ban-on-same-sex-marriage\/","about":["Marriage Equality News"],"wordCount":332,"keywords":[" marriage equality"," same-sex marriage","news","Supreme Court","Texas"],"articleBody":" A\u00a0federal judge in Texas has struck down a ban on same-sex marriage.\u00a0Texas is making headlines today as the latest state in which a federal judge has struck down a ban on same-sex marriage, setting the stage for gay and lesbian couples to legally marry in one of the nation’s most conservative states.San Antonio-based Judge Orlando Garcia\u2019s ruling will not take effect immediately: It stays enforcement of his decision pending appeal, meaning same-sex couples in Texas for the time being cannot get legally married.\u201cWe look forward to the day in Texas when everyone can marry who they love,\u201d said state Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. \u201cThis is a historic day for the LGBT community and the state of Texas.\u201d Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott\u2014a member of the Republican Party, which has been more likely to back gay marriage bans\u2014said his office would appeal the ruling.\u201cThe U.S. Supreme Court has ruled over and over again that sates have the authority to define and regulate marriage,\u201d said Abbott, who is running for governor. \u201cThe Texas Constitution defines marriage as between one man and one woman.\u201dGarcia, in his decision issued Wednesday, Feb. 26, said the ban had no “rational relation to a legitimate government purpose. [\u2026] One of the court’s main responsibilities is to ensure that individuals are treated equally under the law. Equal treatment of all individuals under the law is not merely an aspiration; it is a constitutional mandate.\u201cSupreme Court precedent prohibits states from passing legislation born out of animosity against homosexuals, has extended constitutional protection to the moral and sexual choices of homosexuals, and prohibits the federal government from treating state-sanctioned opposite-sex marriages and same-sex marriages differently.\u201dTwo same-sex couples filed the original lawsuit: Cleopatra De Leon and Nicole Dimetman of Austin; and Mark Phariss and Victor Holmes of Plano.State officials are expected to now take their case to a federal appeals court in New Orleans.Video and reporting: CNN.com\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Federal Judge Strikes Down Texas Ban on Same-Sex Marriage","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/federal-judge-strikes-down-texas-ban-on-same-sex-marriage\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]