Latta v. Otter (ID)
Complaint filed 11/8/2013; SCOTUS ruling issued 10/7/14
On November 8, 2013, four same-sex couples filed a federal lawsuit in Boise challenging Idaho’s laws prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying and refusing to respect the legal marriages of same-sex couples who married in other states. On May 13, 2014 the court ordered the State of Idaho to allow same-sex couples to marry and to recognize the marriages of couples who married in other states. The next day, the state appealed that decision to the Ninth Circuit and filed motions asking the court to stay Judge Dale’s decision until the Ninth Circuit completed its review of the case. The Ninth Circuit granted the motions but ordered that the appeal be resolved on an expedited basis. The Ninth Circuit ruled that Idaho and Nevada’s bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. A day later SCOTUS Justice Kennedy issued a temporary stay blocking same-sex couples in Idaho from getting married. On October 9, 2014, NCLR and co-counsel filed a response in the Supreme Court making the case for why marriages in Idaho should take place without further delay. The following day, the Supreme Court rejected the request for a stay by Idaho state officials, clearing the way for the Ninth Circuit to enter an order allowing marriages to begin. On October 13, 2014, the Ninth Circuit lifted its stay on marriage equality in Idaho. Same-sex couples began marrying in Idaho on Wednesday, October 15, 2014.
