Tennessee judge denies couple's divorce, because gay marriage

Courtroom gavel.
(Image credit: iStock/Getty Images)

Another elected official has challenged the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage — this time, a judge in Hamilton County, Tennessee.

Chancellor Jeffery Atherton denied the divorce petition of Thomas and Pamela Bumgardner, who filed for divorce last September citing irreconcilable differences. Among several listed reasons for denying the petition, Atherton noted that, in his view, the recent Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage left Tennesseeans “incompetent to define and address such institutions as marriage and, thereby, at minimum, contest divorces.”

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Marshall Bright is a digital production assistant at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked at America's Test KitchenSAVEUR and Studio 360. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, she now lives in Harlem with her cat, Pickles.