Utah: States Have Right to Limit Marriage to Men and Women

Utah has filed its brief in the 10th Circuit defending the state's ban on same-sex marriage after a district judge struck it down as unconstitutional, Deseret News reports. One argument by the state is that there is nothing in the federal Constitution preventing Utah's citizens from limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples. A second argument by the state is "'redefining marriage as a genderless, adult-centric institution would fundamentally change Utah's child-centered meaning and purpose of marriage,'" the paper further reports. A third argument by the state is "that traditional marriage furthers the state's interests in accommodating religious freedom and preserving social harmony in the state, while redefining marriage would be a recipe for social and religious strife," the paper also reports.