Same-sex marriage ban ruled unconstitutional in Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/20/14

Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Same-sex marriage ban ruled unconstitutional in Pennsylvania:

"The law barring same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania is unconstitutional, a federal judge based in Harrisburg ruled today.

The decision by U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III comes in a case filed in July by 11 gay couples, two teenage children of one of the pairs and a widow. The couples include Deb and Susan Whitewood of Bridgeville, Diana Polson and Dawn Plummer of Point Breeze, and Lynn and Fredia Hurdle, of Crafton Heights.

Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Philadelphia firm Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller, some of the plaintiffs demanded that Pennsylvania recognize gay marriages forged in other states, while others sought to tie the knot in their home states.

The defendants are state Health Secretary Michael Wolf, Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser and Donald Petrille Jr., Bucks County register of wills. Gov. Tom Corbett was originally a defendant, but was dropped from the case because his office doesn’t directly administer marriage-related state functions."