At Claery & Hammond, LLP, we actively seek to keep our clients and the public updated on all developments in same-sex marriage and divorce laws. In the latest update, the Supreme Court has now established April 28, 2015 as the date to hear oral arguments on gay marriage.
In January, the justices said that they would definitively answer if the Constitution allows the states to ban same-sex marriage. The American people are expecting a ruling in late June.
The argument, slated for April 28 will begin at 10 a.m. ET, and it is expected to last about two and a half hours. That afternoon, the court is going to release an audio of the oral arguments. Usually, the court doesn't release audio until the end of the week.
The Supreme Court has granted cases from four states, including: Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. In this historic ruling, the court is going to decide whether states can refuse to recognize same sex marriages that are legally performed in other states, and whether states have the right to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
To date, there are 37 states that allow gay marriage to proceed; however, there is an ongoing battle in Alabama, with the state's highest court placing it on hold.
Businesses Show Their Support
There are 379 businesses and groups representing employers from a variety of industries, including Google Inc., Johnson & Johnson, American Airlines Group Inc., and Thomson Reuters Corp who have joined together to sign a friend-of-the-court brief in support of same sex marriage; it is due to be filed Thursday.
"Allowing same-sex couples to marry improves employee morale and productivity, reduces uncertainty, and removes the wasteful administrative burdens imposed by the current disparity of state law treatment," the brief says.