A Minnesota appeals court today ruled that District Judge Mary Dufresne wrongfully dismissed a 2010 lawsuit brought by three gay couples when she rejected the couples’ claims on the basis of Baker vs. Nelson, a 1971 Minnesota Supreme Court decision that said limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples does not violate the U.S. Constitution.

The Star-Tribune reports:
In the 15-page unpublished ruling, the Appeals Court ruled that Dufresne was right when she threw out the suit because the state was not an eligible defendant and because it did not violate the couples’ religious freedom, but that she improperly relied on the Baker case. The couples should be granted an opportunity in district court to prove their rights were violated, Judge Renee L. Worke wrote.

“…Even if the right to marry is not considered a fundamental right, appellants should have been granted an opportunity to show that MN DOMA is not a reasonable means to its stated objective — to promote opposite-sex marriages to encourage procreation,” Worke wrote.

Full Story from Towleroad

Click here for gay wedding resources in Minnesota.

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An appeals court is expected to make a ruling over a group’s lawsuit claiming gay marriage should be legal in Minnesota.

Back in March, a judge denied the group Marry Me Minnesota’s request to legalize gay marriage.

She said it did not violate the due process, equal protection, religious freedom or freedom of association rights for gay couples.

Full Story from CBS Minnesota

Click here for gay wedding resources in Minnesota.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.