by HRC Staff •
Post submitted by Viet Tran (he/him/they/them), former HRC Press Secretary
The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in the case Box v. Henderson, which sought to allow Indiana to refuse to place both mothers on their child’s birth certificate.
The court’s denial effectively leaves in place the Seventh Circuit decision in favor of the mothers and maintains the court decision, Pavan v. Smith as precedent. In 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Pavan v. Smith to overturn an Arkansas Supreme Court decision that allowed the state to bar married same-sex couples from automatically having both parent’s names listed on their children’s birth certificates.
Today’s Supreme Court decision once again affirms that marriage equality under Obergefell v. Hodges means that married same-sex couples are entitled to be treated equally under the law. By refusing to hear this case, the Court effectively reaffirms its ruling in Pavan v. Smith that unequivocally ruled states must issue birth certificates on equal terms to same-sex parents.
We refuse to allow our love to be treated any differently under law, and will fight to make sure skim-milk marriage never becomes the law of the land.
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