Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 1[1] of 2004, is an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution that made it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform same-sex marriages or civil unions. The referendum was approved by 75% of the voters.[2]
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Are you in favor of amending the Kentucky Constitution to provide that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be a marriage in Kentucky, and that a legal status identical to or similar to marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized? | ||||||||||||||||
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 Results by county Yes 90–100% 80–90% 70–80% 60–70% 50–60%
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| Source: Kentucky State Board of Elections | ||||||||||||||||
The text of the amendment states:
Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Kentucky. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized.[3]
Legal Challenges
On September 10, 2013, the Kentucky Equality Federation sued the Commonwealth of Kentucky in Franklin Circuit Court claiming Kentucky's 2004 Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage violated sections of the commonwealth's constitution. Case # 13-CI-1074 was assigned by the Franklin County Court Clerk (the location of the Kentucky State Capitol). The lawsuit was conceived by President Jordan Palmer, written and signed by Vice President of Legal Jillian Hall, Esq. On April 16, 2015, the case was decided in favor of the plaintiff by Franklin County Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Wingate.
This provision also became void in 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes | 1,222,125 | 74.55 |
| No | 417,097 | 25.45 |
| Total votes | 1,639,222 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 3,057,741 | 53.6 |
See also
References
External links
- The Money Behind the 2004 Marriage Amendments -- National Institute on Money in State Politics Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine