The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and attorneys Deborah A. Ferguson and Craig Durham filed a lawsuit yesterday on behalf of military veteran Madelynn Lee Taylor to grant her burial rights in the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery where her late spouse Jean Mixner’s ashes have already been laid to rest.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and attorneys Deborah A. Ferguson and Craig Durham filed a lawsuit yesterday on behalf of military veteran Madelynn Lee Taylor to grant her burial rights in the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery where her late spouse Jean Mixner’s ashes have already been laid to rest.
Cemetery employees denied Taylor’s request last year because Idaho state law prohibits recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages.
In a statement, Taylor said “Idaho is where some of our best memories together are and it’s where I want to spend eternity with Jean.”
The lawsuit argues that the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process.
On May 13th, U.S. District Magistrate Candy Dale struck down Idaho’s ban on same-sex marriage.
However, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has placed a stay on the ruling following an appeal from Idaho Governor Butch Otter and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden.
Arguments in the case are set for September 8.
Read Taylor’s 15-page lawsuit here.
Watch Taylor’s story, which we posted last April, AFTER THE JUMP…
