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Mississippi Amendment 1, Definition of Marriage Amendment (2004)

From Ballotpedia
Mississippi Amendment 1
Flag of Mississippi.png
Election date
November 2, 2004
Topic
Marriage and family andLGBT issues
Status
OverturnedotOverturned
Type
Constitutional amendment
Origin
State legislature

Mississippi Amendment 1, theDefinition of Marriage Amendment, was on theballot inMississippi as alegislatively referred constitutional amendment onNovember 2, 2004. It wasapproved. The measure was lateroverturned.

A"yes" votesupported amending the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, and providing that same-sex marriages will not be recognized in the state.

A"no" voteopposed amending the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, and providing that same-sex marriages will not be recognized in the state.


Election results

Mississippi Amendment 1

ResultVotesPercentage

ApprovedYes

957,10486.01%
No155,64813.99%
Results are officially certified.
Source


Overview

What did this measure do?

This measure amended the Missouri Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. It also provided that same-sex marriage would not be recognized in the state.

Aftermath

District Court

Judge Carlton Reeves of theUS District Court for Southern Mississippi overturned the state's same-sex marriage ban on November 25, 2014.[1] Judge Reeves elaborated on the court's logic, saying:

It has become clear to the court that people marry for a number of reasons: marriage is a profound source of emotional support; marriage is a private and public expression of commitment; some marry in exercise of their religious beliefs; some do so because it opens the door to economic and government benefits; there are those who marry to present a certain status or image; and others do it for the noble purpose of legitimizing their children. In reviewing the arguments of the parties and conducting its own research, the court determined that an objective person must answer affirmatively to the following questions:
Can gay and lesbian citizens love?
Can gay and lesbian citizens have long-lasting and committed relationships?
Can gay and lesbian citizens love and care for children?
Can gay and lesbian citizens provide what is best for their children?
Can gay and lesbian citizens help make their children good and productive citizens?
Without the right to marry, are gay and lesbian citizens subjected to humiliation and indignity?
Without the right to marry, are gay and lesbian citizens subjected to state-sanctioned prejudice?

Answering “Yes” to each of these questions leads the court to the inescapable conclusion that same-sex couples should be allowed to share in the benefits, and burdens, for better or for worse, of marriage.[2]

—Judge Carlton W. Reeves[3]

State officials appealed the ruling to theUS Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Fifth Circuit Court

On December 4, 2014, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the lower court's decision and decided to take up the case.[4]

U.S. Supreme Court

See also:Obergefell v. Hodges

On June 26, 2015, theUnited States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under theFourteenth Amendment of theUnited States Constitution in the caseObergefell v. Hodges. The ruling overturned bans on same-sex marriage.[5]

JusticeAnthony Kennedy authored the opinion and JusticesRuth Bader Ginsburg,Stephen Breyer,Sonia Sotomayor andElena Kagan joined. Chief JusticeJohn Roberts and JusticesAntonin Scalia,Clarence Thomas andSamuel Alito each authored a dissent.[6]

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Amendment 1 was as follows:

Amendment No.1 / HCR No.56A concurrent resolution proposing to amend the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 by creating a new section 263-A to provide that marriage may take place and may be valid under the laws of this state only between a man and a woman; to provide that a marriage in another state or foreign jurisdiction between persons of the same gender, regardless of when the marriage took place, may not be recognized in this state and is void and unenforceable under the laws of this state; and for related purposes.


Background

Related measures

See also:History of same-sex marriage ballot measures

Between 1998 and 2012, voters in 30 states approved ballot measures that defined marriage as between one male and one female or otherwise prohibited same-sex marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court invalidated bans on same-sex marriage in the caseObergefell v. Hodges in 2015.


See also

  • Ballot measure lawsuits
  • Ballot measure readability
  • Ballot measure polls

External links

Footnotes

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