Kansas Supreme Court allows same-sex marriage in state’s most populous county News
Kansas Supreme Court allows same-sex marriage in state’s most populous county

The Kansas Supreme Court [official website] decided [order, PDF] Tuesday to allow same-sex marriage licenses to be issued in the most populous county in Kansas. Johnson County had begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in October and was challenged in state court. A federal court decision [JURIST report] earlier in November declared the same-sex marriage ban in Kansas unconstitutional. A temporary delay was ordered [JURIST report] by US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor barring the state from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The application for the stay contended that the federal judge’s finding that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional interferes with the state supreme court’s review and circumvents the state court’s power. The application was ultimately denied by the court [JURIST report], making Kansas the thirty-third state to allow same-sex marriage. Johnson County marks the first Kansas Supreme Court ruling to allow same-sex marriage after the US Supreme Court ruling. The order states that the ruling is not binding on any other county in Kansas.

Same-sex marriage [JURIST backgrounder] continues to be one of the most controversial legal issues in the US today. Since the Supreme Court struck down [JURIST report] section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act [text] last year, numerous state and federal courts have declared state same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional. The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s [official website] recent decision that upheld same-sex marriage bans [JURIST report] in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee has increased the likelihood that federal rulings declaring same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional will go to the Supreme Court.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.