SEVCIK V. SANDOVAL AND JACKSON V. ABERCROMBIE (U.S.C.A. 9TH CIRCUIT, 2013)

The Nevada case, Sevcik v. Sandoval, was brought by four same-sex couples who sought marriage licenses in Nevada and four more couples who had been married in California and Canada and sought recognition of those marriages in Nevada. The Hawaii case, Jackson v. Abercrombie, contested the constitutionality of both the state's ban on same-sex marriage and its recognition of civil unions only. The two cases have been combined into a single appeal. ADL filed a brief on behalf of a coalition of 29 organizations arguing that overturning the marriage bans not only would ensure that religious considerations do not improperly influence what marriages the two states can recognize but also would allow religious groups to decide the definition of marriage for themselves.