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Adams County Family Law Case Makes National Headlines

By Tolison & Williams / July 17, 2014

Any family law issue can feel like a crisis to the people involved. From child custody disputes to valuing assets in a divorce, family law cases often involve the things that are nearest and dearest to a person's heart.

While your family law case is no doubt critically important on a personal level, it is relatively rare that a family law case from an Adams County courtroom makes national headlines. But, that is just what happened after a judge in Brighton issued a decision on July 9.

Same-sex marriage ban struck down

While Colorado does permit same-sex couples to enter into civil unions and designated beneficiary agreements, the state is one of several that formally prohibit same-sex marriage. Back in 2006, a slim majority of Colorado voters approved a state constitutional amendment that defined marriage as existing only between one man and one woman. But on July 9, a judge in Adams County District Court ruled that Colorado's same-sex marriage ban violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Among other things, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law and due process, guarantees that the Adams County judge says were denied the same-sex partners who filed suit after their request for a marriage license application was turned down. The judge called the same-sex marriage ban "discriminatory" and likened civil unions to the so-called "separate but equal" doctrine used to justify racial segregation in the South prior to the Civil Rights Movement.

The Adams County family law ruling out of Brighton is causing quite a stir. Not only is it grabbing national media attention, it has also inspired a string of similar decisions in other jurisdictions throughout the state. Referencing the Adams County decision, on July 10 a judge in Boulder permitted the county clerk to issue licenses for same-sex marriages on an ongoing basis. After Boulder County announced that marriage licenses would be issued to same-sex couples in the wake of the Adams County case, Denver County and Pueblo County followed suit.

Protect yourself and your family if you have a family law issue

The state is divided on whether or not licenses should be issued for same-sex marriages. The Colorado Supreme Court has been asked to intercede and ultimately settle the issue. But while the same-sex marriage debate rages on in Colorado and throughout the nation, keep in mind that even a case out of the Adams County Justice Center in Brighton can have a meaningful effect far beyond the lives of those who are personally involved.

Whether your family law problem spans an issue of national scale and scope, or simply concerns one of the most important things in your own life, you have a right to be heard and to pursue the outcome you desire. A Brighton family law attorney can help you achieve your goals, big or small. To the right family law attorney, your case is the most important in the world, even if it is unlikely to make The Brighton Blade, let alone USA Today.

Tags: Child Custody

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