Supreme Court plaintiffs to get send-off in Ohio city

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati is planning a send-off event in support of plaintiffs in gay marriage cases that will be argued next week before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and same-sex marriage advocacy groups plan to gather at noon today outside city hall. The city has in recent years stressed its support for inclusion and diversity.

Among those expected to speak is Jim Obergefell. He is the lead plaintiff in cases before the nation’s highest court Tuesday that will decide whether same-sex couples have the constitutional right to marry and whether states must recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

He and his late spouse John Arthur won a federal court ruling that was overturned last year by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Cincinnati.