Thursday, the Arkansas Supreme Court temporarily blocked the ruling of Pulaski Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox, who ruled in favor of three same-sex couples who sued to be listed on the birth certificates of their children.
The State Supreme Court ruled that, “the best course of action is to preserve the status quo with regard to the statutory provisions while [they] consider the circuit court’s ruling.” Similar suits have also been filed in Indiana and Florida.
Dec. 1, Judge Fox held that a state law restricting parentage identification to heterosexual couples was unconstitutional in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this year legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, reported Reuters.
“(The) decision affords the plaintiffs, as same-sex couples, the same constitutional rights with respect to the issuance of birth certificates and amended birth certificates as opposite-sex couples,” Fox wrote at the time.
