What New Mexico's gay marriage ruling means for other states
The Land of Enchantment becomes the 17th state to allow gay marriage — but don't expect others to follow its lead
New Mexico's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
In a unanimous decision, the state's highest court ruled that the right for same-sex couples to wed was guaranteed under the equal protection clause of the state constitution, which says that "equality of rights under law shall not be denied on account of the sex of any person." As a result, the Land of Enchantment became the 17th state, plus the District of Columbia, to legalize same-sex marriage.
On a practical level, the ruling adds one more state to the list of those where gay couples can legally wed, and it could lend weight to efforts at legalizing same-sex marriage elsewhere. But though the court cited the Supreme Court decision that struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act in its own opinion, it also noted that its interpretation of that and other rulings did not necessarily mean other states should follow suit. The court wrote:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Yet at the same time, the court hedged that it was interpreting the law given New Mexico's unique circumstance.
New Mexico is the only state with no law legalizing or barring same-sex marriage. It was because of that ambiguity that one county began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples a decade ago, a practice that lasted just a single day until the state's then-Attorney General stepped in and stopped it.
Until Thursday, New Mexico remained in a weird limbo, with gay marriage de facto, though not legally, banned. So when same-sex couples fought for equal rights in court, they were not, unlike their counterparts in other states, challenging an existing ban.
More from the ruling:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
In other words, the high court hasn't said there is a definite right for gay couples to wed, so individual states are left to make that determination on their own. And in this case, the state court said gay marriage should be legal not because of federal policy, but because of New Mexico's own constitution.
In that way, the ruling is more limited than one to come out of New Jersey — the only other state to legalize same-sex marriage via the courts since the Supreme Court's DOMA ruling — earlier this year. In that case, a judge ruled that New Jersey, by extending benefits to gay couples in civil unions but then preventing those couples from marrying, had created an untenable two-tiered system.
"If the trend of federal agencies deeming civil union partners ineligible for benefits continues, plaintiffs will suffer even more, while their opposite-sex New Jersey counterparts continue to receive federal marital benefits for no reason other than the label placed upon their relationships by the state," New Jersey Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson wrote in September.
That ruling more broadly reads as a blueprint for lawsuits in other states: Denying same-sex couples the right to wed will increasingly prove problematic and run counter to federal policy.
So though the New Mexico ruling should lend some encouragement to activists pushing to legalize same-sex marriage in other states, it does not in itself offer an argument for doing so.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
How can you save on homeowners insurance?
The Explainer With the rise in extreme weather, house protection is a non-negotiable
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
5 spellbinding new books to read in October. Witches and colonization tales included.
The Week Recommends Ta-Nehisi Coates shines a light on Palestine, and Louise Erdrich takes us to North Dakota
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Donald Trump is downplaying his position on abortion
The Explainer He says it's a state issue, but opponents have concerns
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published