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• French president signs gay marriage into law

  May 18, 2013 3:32 PM

  PARIS - France will see its first gay weddings within days, after French President Francois Hollande signed a law Saturday authorizing marriage and adoption by same-sex couples and ending months of nationwide protests and wrenching debate. Hollande's office said he signed the bill Saturday morning, a day after the Constitutional... more »

• Supreme Court hears DOMA case

  March 27, 2013 11:46 AM

  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court is indicating it could strike down the federal law that prevents legally married gay couples from receiving a range of federal benefits for married people. Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the decisive vote in close cases, joined the four more liberal justices in raising questions about... more »

• Marriage equality weighed in Baton Rouge Play Video

  March 26, 2013 5:48 PM

  BATON ROUGE - As the Supreme Court of the United States weighs marriage equality issues, leaders in Louisiana are voicing their opinions on the matter too. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, spoke to a group in Central today, focusing on the importance of protecting children from... more »

• Court could avoid wide-ranging ruling on gay marriage

  March 26, 2013 5:18 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court could end up avoiding a major national ruling on whether America's gays have a right to marry. During arguments today on California's ban on same-sex marriage, several justices raised doubts that the case should even be before them. And Justice Anthony Kennedy -- possibly the... more »

• Justices hear arguments on Calif. gay marriage ban

  March 26, 2013 10:33 AM

  WASHINGTON - A lawyer seeking an end to California's ban on same-sex marriage is comparing it to bans on interracial marriages, a prohibition the Supreme Court declared illegal decades ago. In charged back-and-forth exchanges with justices, lawyer Theodore Olson said that the court should look to its 1967 Loving case,... more »

• Public braves snow for gay marriage case tickets

  March 25, 2013 10:48 AM

  WASHINGTON - People waiting to attend to gay marriage cases being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court have been undeterred by snow falling in the nation's capital. More than three dozen people were waiting Monday to get tickets to the cases, which will be heard Tuesday and Wednesday. Many of... more »

• Michael Jordan applies for Fla. marriage license

  March 7, 2013 10:42 AM

  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Basketball legend Michael Jordan appears ready to get married again. The former NBA star and Charlotte Bobcats owner appeared at the main Palm Beach County courthouse Thursday morning to apply for a marriage license, according to Kathy Burstein, a spokeswoman for the clerk's office. Applicants... more »

• British lawmakers vote in favor of gay marriage

  February 5, 2013 2:24 PM

  LONDON- British lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill to legalize same-sex marriages. The government-proposed bill would enable same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies, provided that the religious institution consents. In a first House of Commons vote on Tuesday, lawmakers voted 400 to... more »

• Gay activists laud Obama speech, now want action

  January 23, 2013 6:41 AM

  NEW YORK - President Barack Obama's emphatic gay-rights advocacy in his inaugural address thrilled many activists. Yet almost immediately came the questions and suggestions as to what steps should be taken next. Items on the activists' wish list include appointment of America's first openly gay Cabinet member, steps to... more »

• Newlyweds head to separate prisons

  January 15, 2013 10:41 AM

  THIBODAUX - A Lafourche Parish couple spent the first week of their marriage free, but could spend the next nine years in separate prison cells as they serve time for cocaine distribution. The Courier reports 30-year-old Tanna Hawkins and 28-year-old Tara Robinson Hawkins were married the first week of January,... more »

• Court to hear gay marriage cases

  December 7, 2012 3:37 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court will take up California's ban on same-sex marriage, a case that could give the justices the chance to rule on whether gay Americans have the same constitutional right to marry as heterosexuals. The justices said Monday they will review a federal appeals court ruling that... more »

• Catholic bishops stay course on gay marriage fight

  November 12, 2012 2:41 PM

  BALTIMORE - The nation's Roman Catholic bishops say they won't change their strategy on gay marriage or birth control coverage despite the outcome of the election. Bishops have been in the forefront of opposing same-sex marriage. But voters decided ballot questions in four states last week in favor of gay... more »

• Wash. voters approve gay marriage

  November 8, 2012 3:34 PM

  OLYMPIA, Wash. - Voters in Washington state have approved gay marriage, joining Maine and Maryland as the first states to pass same-sex marriage by popular vote. Referendum 74 asked people to approve or reject a law legalizing same-sex marriage that Washington legislators passed earlier this year. The law was signed... more »

• Same-sex marriage, marijuana legalization ballot measures win

  November 6, 2012 11:41 PM

  UNDATED - Maine is the first state to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. Washington state is the first to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Voters a continent apart, making history on two divisive social issues. The outcome in Maine broke a 32-state streak, dating to 1998, with gay marriage... more »

• NY appeals court nixes Defense of Marriage Act

  October 18, 2012 10:51 AM

  NEW YORK - A federal appeals court in Manhattan has become the second in the nation to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling Thursday. The decision upholds a lower court judge who ruled that the 1996 law... more »

• Shotgun wedding? Jeweler offers rifles with rings

  October 16, 2012 2:56 PM

  NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa - Have you spent your life hunting for the perfect wife? Maybe you have met the one but are feeling gun shy? An Iowa jeweler is offering free rifles for husbands-to-be who spend at least $1,999 on an engagement ring at his store near Iowa City. Jeweler... more »

• Miss. church apologizes for barring black marriage

  August 6, 2012 12:00 PM

  JACKSON, Miss.- A predominantly white Mississippi church has apologized for its refusal to allow a black couple to marry in its sanctuary, though the couple says they knew nothing of the apology until a reporter called. The First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs posted the apology on its website Sunday.... more »

• Baptist bodies call on church to reject racism

  July 30, 2012 1:49 PM

  JACKSON, Miss. - Southern Baptist bodies are calling on a Mississippi church that blocked a black couple from getting married under its roof to reject racism. Leaders of the Mississippi Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention said Monday that preventing Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson from marrying at First Baptist... more »

• Ruling against Defense of Marriage Act won't be applied until Supreme Court acts

  May 31, 2012 12:24 PM

  BOSTON - A federal appeals court is rejecting part of the Defense of Marriage Act -- but today's ruling won't be enforced until the U.S. Supreme Court decides the case. That means same-sex married couples won't be eligible to receive the benefits denied to them under that law until the... more »

• NC Governor: "We look like Mississippi"

  May 11, 2012 1:11 PM

  GREENVILLE - North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue says passage of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman makes the state "look like Mississippi." Perdue was in Greenville on Friday to tout her proposed state budget for 2012-2013. Perdue said people around the country are... more »

• WATCH: Obama voices his support for gay marriage

  May 9, 2012 2:37 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says he now supports same-sex marriage, ending months of equivocation on a subject with powerful election-year consequences. Obama says he has concluded that it is important for him to affirm that he thinks same-sex couples should be able to get married. He says he came... more »

• Gay marriage amendment vote today

  May 8, 2012 10:30 AM

  RALEIGH - The national debate over gay marriage is turning its attention South. North Carolina could be the next state to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman. Voters are casting their ballots today. In the final days before the vote, members of... more »

• Gay marriage bill signed

  March 1, 2012 4:38 PM

  ANNAPOLIS, MD. - Maryland's governor has signed a bill legalizing gay marriage, joining seven other states and the District of Columbia. Governor Martin O'Malley signed the bill today one week after its final passage by the Maryland Legislature. The law is scheduled to take effect in January 2013.... more »

• Washington state lawmakers pass gay marriage bill

  February 9, 2012 3:06 AM

  OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Washington state Legislature has voted to legalize gay marriage, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed. The action comes a day after a federal appeals court declared California's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional. The... more »

• Census: 131,729 gay couples report they're married

  September 27, 2011 1:40 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Census Bureau reports there are 131,729 same-sex couples in the U.S. who say they're married - the first-ever government count of this kind. The 2010 results show that about 20 percent of the estimated 646,464 gay couples in the country checked off "husband" or "wife" boxes... more »

• Kimball to perform Edwards' nuptials

  July 27, 2011 2:40 AM

  BATON ROUGE- Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Catherine "Kitty" Kimball will join former Gov. Edwin Edwards and Trina Grimes Scott in marriage this week. Kimball's spokeswoman, Valerie Willard, told The Advocate that Kimball is presiding over the wedding. "Yes, it is true that the Chief Justice will perform... more »

• Edwards to marry before weekend birthday

  July 25, 2011 3:49 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Edwin Edwards and his fiance, Trina Scott, have a full week ahead of them. The former governor and his bride-to-be will get married this Friday, before Edwards celebrates his 84th birthday in New Orleans Saturday. Scott, 32, confirmed on her Facebook page the nuptials were... more »

• Many BR couples say "I Do" on Valentine's Day

  February 14, 2011 5:07 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Many lovebirds chose to get hitched this Valentine's Day, while others filed for a marriage license. Around 90 couples filed for a marriage license last week in Baton Rouge according to Jeff Hickerson, the marriage license department supervisor at the parish clerk's office. "Typically it... more »

• Wagering on a wedding? Britons say you bet

  January 21, 2011 1:04 PM

  LONDON - Prince William and Kate Middleton aren't even married yet but the betting is on, as one of Britain's favorite pastimes, about whether the marriage will eventually end in divorce. Britons' penchant for betting and royal watching have combined into one raucous market. Darren Haines, a spokesman... more »

• Al and Tipper Gore to separate after 40 years

  June 1, 2010 11:43 AM

  Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, are separating after 40 years of marriage. According to an e-mail circulated among the couple's friends and obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, the Gores said it was "a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together... more »

• Proposal on rival team's field

  April 9, 2010 8:28 PM

  A high school softball coach threw a curve at a rival team's coach by asking for her hand in marriage on the opposing team's field. Glen Este High School coach Tim Gregory and Milford High coach Christy Foster dated for more than two years when he dropped to one knee... more »

• Same-sex couples pick up marriage licenses in Washington, D.C.

  March 9, 2010 9:00 AM

  Same-sex couples in Washington, D.C. picked up marriage licenses on their first eligible day today. The law changed there last week. Fifteen licenses were picked up in the first hour, and 150 couples are eligible to pick up their licenses today. There is a mandatory three-business-day waiting period between... more »

• Court blocks taping of gay marriage trial

  January 11, 2010 10:11 AM

  The Supreme Court is blocking a broadcast of the trial on California's same-sex marriage ban, at least for the first few days. The federal trial is scheduled to begin later Monday in San Francisco. It will consider whether the Proposition 8 gay marriage ban approved by California voters in November... more »

• 2 Your Health for Jan. 5

  January 5, 2010 5:44 PM

  Special diets for children with autism and the link between family and fat are discussed in this 2 Your Health report. more »

• La. Supreme Court names justice of peace

  November 17, 2009 7:15 AM

  The Louisiana Supreme Court has appointed a neighboring justice of the peace to fill the vacancy of Keith Bardwell who resigned on Nov. 3. The justice of the peace for Ward 5 in Tangipahoa Parish, will temporarily fulfill the duties of Bardwell's old seat. Bardwell resigned after receiving national attention... more »

• Interracial families, children discuss life experiences

  October 20, 2009 10:23 PM

  Interracial families and biracial children have different takes on their life experiences. Some biracial children recall discrimination inside and outside of their families, but others say they remember little to no discrimination at all. The discussion of race, marriage, and children has gained momentum after Justice of the... more »

• Interracial children weigh in

  October 20, 2009 3:11 PM

  Do the children of interracial couples actually have problems that differ from other children? Keith Bardwell, a Justice of the Peace in Tangipahoa Parish, seems to think so. He used that idea to justify his decision not to marry an interracial couple. Is there any validity to his idea... more »

• Justice of the peace could be forced to step down

  October 19, 2009 4:59 PM

  The Louisiana Judiciary Commission could force a justice of the peace from Hammond to step down over his refusal to marry an interracial couple. Keith Bardwell said he would not marry Terence Mckay and Elizabeth Humphrey nearly two weeks ago. Bardwell said he feared for the children they might... more »

• Complaints pour in after interracial couple denied marriage

  October 16, 2009 10:45 AM

  UPDATE: The Judiciary Commission of Louisiana says it's received dozens of complaints from people across the country after a white justice of the peace refused to marry an interracial couple in Tangipahoa Parish. That may spark an investigation into Keith Bardwell's actions. Bardwell refused to marry Beth Humphrey,... more »