Prelim Injunction Sought in Gay Marriage Case

The American Civil Liberties Union is asking a judge to stop officials in Kansas from prohibiting same-sex weddings and denying benefits offered to opposite-sex married couples.

The ACLU filed the request for a preliminary injunction Monday in federal court, saying that its case is likely to succeed.

The U.S. Supreme Court last month blocked Kansas from enforcing its ban on same-sex marriages while the lawsuit proceeds in federal court.  Same-sex couples in Kansas have since been marrying in some but not all of the state’s 105 counties.

But the ACLU’s motion notes that the state isn’t recognizing same-sex marriages for spousal health insurance benefits, state tax filing purposes and driver’s license name changes.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has vowed to uphold the state’s ban on same-sex nuptials.