No. 14-562

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In The

Supreme ourt of the United States

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 ---------------------------------  VALERIA TANCO, et al.,

 Petitioners,

v. WILLIAM HASLAM, et al.,

 Respondents.

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On Writ Of Certiorari To The United States Court Of Appeals For The Sixth Circuit

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BRIEF OF RESPONDENTS

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 --------------------------------- H

ERBERT

 H. S

LATERY 

 III  Attorney General S

TATE

 

OF

 T

ENNESSEE

 J

OSEPH

 F. W

HALEN

  Associate Solicitor General

Counsel of Record

M

 ARTHA 

 A. C

 AMPBELL

 K 

EVIN

 G. S

TEILING

 Deputy Attorneys General  A 

LEXANDER

 S. R

IEGER

  Assistant Attorney General O

FFICE

 

OF

 

THE

 A 

TTORNEY 

 G

ENERAL

 425 Fifth Avenue North Nashville, Tennessee 37243 615-741-3499  joe.whalen@ag.tn.gov

Counsel for Respondents

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COCKLE LEGAL BRIEFS (800) 225-6964 WWW.COCKLELEGALBRIEFS.COM

 

i

QUESTION PRESENTED

 Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?

 

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page QUESTION PRESENTED................................... i OPINIONS BELOW ............................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................ 1 STATEMENT ....................................................... 2 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT .............................. 5  ARGUMENT ........................................................ 10 I. THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT DOES NOT REQUIRE A STATE TO RECOG-NIZE AN OUT-OF-STATE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ............................................... 10  A. States have always had authority under the Constitution not to recog-nize marriages licensed in other states ................................................... 10 B. A State is not required to recognize an out-of-state same-sex marriage as a matter of substantive due process ....... 16 1. There is no fundamental right to same-sex marriage .......................... 16 2. There is no fundamental right of same-sex couples to “remain mar-ried” ................................................ 23 C. A State is not required to recognize an out-of-state same-sex marriage as a matter of equal protection ................ 28