Strawser v. Strange (AL)
Complaint filed 9/11/2014; SCOTUS ruling issued 6/26/2015
James Strawser and John Humphrey applied for a marriage license in Mobile County, Alabama, but were denied. The couple filed a federal challenge to Alabama’s marriage ban, and in January of 2015 the district court prohibited Alabama from enforcing its marriage ban and its non-recognition laws. The State of Alabama appealed unsuccessfully to the Eleventh Circuit for a stay pending the U.S. Supreme Court’s forthcoming decision in marriage equality cases. On February 9, the U.S. Supreme Court also denied the Attorney General’s request for a stay, and couples began marrying in Alabama the same day. Some county probate judges still refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but were ordered to do so by Judge Granade 3 days later. By early March, the Supreme Court of Alabama issued a series of orders that prohibited all counties in Alabama from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On March 6, 2015, NCLR and co-counsel filed a motion on behalf of the plaintiffs for an injunction of those orders, but the injunction was stayed until the U.S. Supreme Court could rule. On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in NCLR’s Tennessee marriage case and cases from three other states affirming the freedom to marry in every state and U.S. territory.
