MILWAUKEE, Wis. – In September, the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin filed suit in federal court on behalf of same-sex couples married in Wisconsin during the week after June 6 Bloechl-Karlsen v. Walker.  Today, the State of Wisconsin put out a statement saying it would recognize the marriages of approximately 550 same-sex couples legally married in Wisconsin during the week between the District Court’s decision overturning the ban on marriage for same-sex couples and Judge Crabb’s subsequent stay of that ruling.

Kiersten Bloechl-Karlsen, one of the named plaintiffs in the case, said “Marriage upholds the values we hold dear: commitment, stability, responsibility and most importantly, family. We are so happy that the vow that we made to each other will now be honored by our state and our country.  In our case, I’ve been a mother to our little girl since the day she was born but was unable to sign her birth certificate. We can now pursue a second parent adoption so that our right as a family to remain legally connected to each other, no matter what happens, is not compromised.”

“We are pleased that the State of Wisconsin is doing the right thing and recognizing these marriages,” said Larry Dupuis, legal director of the ACLU of Wisconsin.  “While there may be some bureaucratic snafus here and there, we expect the State to move quickly and assertively to make the promise of marriage equality a practical reality in Wisconsin.”

The ACLU has been working for the rights of LGBT people since its first gay rights case, in 1936. The organization also filed the first ever freedom-to-marry lawsuit for same-sex couples in 1970, and represented Edie Windsor in her successful challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act in June 2013. Since that time, the ACLU has filed thirteen federal marriage lawsuits on behalf of same-sex across the country.

The ACLU of Wisconsin is a non-profit, non-partisan, private organization whose 7,000 members support its efforts to defend the civil rights and liberties of all Wisconsin residents. For more on the ACLU of Wisconsin, visit our website, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at@ACLUofWisconsin and @ACLUMadison.