| Andersen v. King County | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | Washington Supreme Court |
| Full case name | Heather Andersen and Leslie Christian; Peter Ilgenfritz and David Shull; Johanna Bender and Sherri Kokx; Janet Helson and Betty Lundquist; David Serkin-Poole and Michael Serkin-Poole; Vegavahini Subramaniam and Vaijayanthimala Nagarajan; Elizabeth Reis and Barbara Steele; and Michelle Esguerra; and Boo Torres De Esguera v. King County; Ron Sims, King County Executive; and Dean Logan, King County Director of Records, Elections and Licensing Services Division |
| Argued | March 08, 2005 |
| Decided | July 26, 2006 |
| Citation | 138 P.3d 963 (Wash. 2006) |
| Holding | |
| Washington's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) denying same-sex couples marriage licenses does not violate the due process clause, privilege and immunity clause, or the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) of the Washington State Constitution. | |
| Court membership | |
| Chief judge | Gerry L. Alexander |
| Associate judges | Bobbe Bridge, Tom Chambers, Mary Fairhurst, Charles W. Johnson, James M. Johnson, Barbara Madsen, Susan Owens, Richard B. Sanders |
| Case opinions | |
| Plurality | Madsen, joined by Alexander, Johnson |
| Concurrence | Alexander |
| Concurrence | Johnson, Sanders |
| Dissent | Fairhurst, joined by Chambers, Owens, Bridge |
| Dissent | Bridge |
| Dissent | Chambers, joined by Owens |
| Laws applied | |
| Washington Consti. article I, section 3, section 12. article XXXI, section 1. RCW 26.04.020(1)(c) | |
Andersen v. King County, 138 P.3d 963 (Wash. 2006),[1] formerly Andersen v. Sims, is a Washington Supreme Court case in which eight lesbian and gay couples sued King County and the state of Washington for denying them marriage licenses under the state's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The court ruled that banning same-sex marriage is constitutional since the legislature could reasonably believe it furthers the government's interest in promoting procreation.
The state enacted same-sex marriage in 2012. Opponents forced a referendum on the issue, and voters approved the legislation on November 6.
- ^ Andersen v. King County, 138 P.3d 963 (Wash. 2006).