A federal judge on Thursday struck down Guam’s ban on gay marriage as unconstitutional.
Plaintiffs in the case, Kathleen Aguero and Loretta Pangelinana, both 28, filed their lawsuit in April, five days after they were denied a marriage license in the village of Mangilao.
Guam falls under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The court has struck down restrictive marriage bans in Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho and Montana. Gay couples can marry in every state under the court’s control, including California, Hawaii and Washington.
Attorneys representing Aguero and Pangelinana argued that Guam has no choice but to follow the Ninth Circuit’s decision and begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
A private attorney was hired to represent Republican Governor Eddie Calvo, a defendant in the case, after Guam Attorney General Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson refused to defend the ban in court. Calvo said that the ban reflects “the will of the people.”
The ruling is set to take effect on Tuesday, June 9 at 8 A.M., according to the Pacific Daily News.
Guam is the first U.S. territory to have marriage equality.
by Carlos Santoscoy
Source – On Top Magazine
