Wisconsin court upholds traditional marriage amendment

MADISON, Wis. — Supporters of traditional marriage gained a big legal win at the Wisconsin Supreme Court June 30.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state’s constitutional marriage amendment, approved by 59 percent of voters in 2006, does not violate the state constitution’s two-subject ban. Opponents argued that because the amendment prohibited both gay “marriage” and same-sex civil unions, it was unconstitutional. But the court, in a 7–0 ruling, disagreed.

“Both sentences of the marriage amendment relate to marriage and tend to effect or carry out the same general purpose of preserving the legal status of marriage in Wisconsin as between only one man and one woman,” the court ruled.

The suit was filed by William McConkey, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh political science instructor. Wisconsin is among the states whose constitutions prevent amendments that are placed before voters from dealing with more than one subject. Similar lawsuits in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana have failed. Thirty states have marriage amendments, although not all of them prohibit civil unions. (TAB)