Puerto Rico’s ban on gay marriage officially nullified by appellate court

An appellate court on Wednesday (8 July) ruled that Puerto Rico’s ban on same-sex marriage has been nullified by last month’s US Supreme Court ruling.

The US territory’s marriage ban had been upheld last October by US District Judge Perez Gimenez in a lawsuit brought on by a San Juan lesbian couple who wanted their Massachusetts marriage recognized in Puerto Rico.

The couple appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit which ruled this week that the ban is unconstitutional.

‘Certainly, after the historic ruling from the Supreme Court, this ruling from the First Circuit was not unexpected,’ Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Omar Gonzalez-Pagan said in a statement. ‘There remains no legal or moral justification for forcing same-sex couples in Puerto Rico to wait any longer to have their love and commitment recognized by the state.’

Hours after the 26 June Supreme Court ruling that made same-sex marriage legal across the US, Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla signed an executive order requiring all Puerto Rican government agencies to become compliant with the court’s ruling within 15 days.

Added Gonzalez-Pagan: ‘We applaud the First Circuit for recognizing that Puerto Rico’s marriage ban is unconstitutional, and reversing the lower court ruling. We also commend the Puerto Rico government for joining in the call to end the marriage ban.’





Governor of US territory had already announced his government would honor last month's ruling by the US Supreme Court

Puerto Rico’s ban on gay marriage officially nullified by appellate court