Monday, April 27, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Standing on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court Monday, nervously smiling at the sea of cameras pointed at them, reality still hadn’t hit for Kelly McCracken and Kelly Noe.
“I think it’ll start to sink in on the plane ride home,” Noe said.
Tuesday the married couple, both 32, will be inside the courthouse as plaintiffs in a case that will have national implications for gay rights.
The nation’s highest court will hear oral arguments regarding two questions:
• Does the 14th Amendment require states to license same sex-marriages?
• Does the 14th Amendment require states to recognize same-sex marriages performed out-of-state?
The plaintiffs in the case are challenging same-sex marriage restrictions in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Kentucky, which are among the last states in the country with gay marriage bans.
McCracken and Noe are plaintiffs in Henry v. Hodges, which is one of a bundle of cases the justices will hear arguments for during a two-and-a-half-hour session.
“I’m hoping for the best, but when you put your faith in someone else’s hands, you never know what could happen,” said McCracken, who Valley residents might recognize as the lead singer of local band The Kellys. McCracken, originally from Warren, now lives in a Cincinnati suburb with Noe and their 11-month-old daughter, Ruby.
“The people on the Supreme Court are still human. And we would like them to think that they are going to make the decision based on dignity, and love and civilness,” she said.
Read much more in Tuesday's Vindicator.