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Case Name
Campaign for Southern Equality v. Mississippi Department of Human Services
PB-MS-0005
Docket / Court
3:15-cv-00578-DPJ-FKB ( S.D. Miss. )
State/Territory
Mississippi
Case Type(s)
Public Benefits / Government Services
Special Collection
Same-Sex Marriage
Case Summary
On August 8, 2015, same-sex couples seeking to adopt in Mississippi and civil rights organizations filed this lawsuit in the U.S District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The plaintiffs sued, at various times, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Governor of Mississippi, ...
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On August 8, 2015, same-sex couples seeking to adopt in Mississippi and civil rights organizations filed this lawsuit in the U.S District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The plaintiffs sued, at various times, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Governor of Mississippi, the Mississippi DOJ, and the Mississippi judiciary under 42 U.S § 1983. Represented by private counsel, the plaintiffs asked for injunctive and declaratory relief, claiming that enforcement of the Mississippi statuary ban on same-sex adoptions violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection and due process clauses in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.
The case was assigned to Judge Daniel P. Jordan. In his words, the state presented a tepid defense of the ban's constitutionality, focusing on procedural rather than substantive questions. Judge Jordan ultimately dismissed the lawsuits against all defendants but the Mississippi Department of Human Services on procedural grounds, but granted full preliminary injunctive relief to plaintiffs against the Mississippi Department of Human Services on May 13, 2016, 2016 WL 1306202, and converted the preliminary injunction into a permanent injunction two months later. (The state apparently agreed to the permanent injunction--submitting it for the court's approval. We don't know whether that was because the state had conceded, or whether it was facilitating entry of a final order to allow immediate appeal.)
Ryan Berry - 05/18/2016
Kelly Ehrenreich - 10/27/2016
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Issues and Causes of Action
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Issues
Affected Gender
Female
Male
Constitutional Clause
Due Process
Equal Protection
Content of Injunction
Discrimination Prohibition
Preliminary relief granted
Defendant-type
Jurisdiction-wide
Discrimination-basis
Sexual orientatation
General
Adoption
Disparate Impact
Disparate Treatment
Foster care (benefits, training)
Gay/lesbian/transgender
Marriage
Plaintiff Type
Private Plaintiff
Causes of Action
42 U.S.C. § 1983
Case Details
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Defendant(s)
State of Mississippi
Plaintiff Description
Same sex couples seeking to adopt.
Class action status sought
No
Class action status granted
No
Filed Pro Se
No
Prevailing Party
Plaintiff
Public Int. Lawyer
Yes
Nature of Relief
Preliminary injunction / Temp. restraining order
Declaratory Judgment
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief
Litigation
Order Duration
2015 - n/a
Filed
08/08/2015
Case Closing Year
2016
Case Ongoing
No
Additional Resources
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Documents
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Court
Docket(s)
S.D. Miss.
05/13/2016
3:15−cv−00578−DPJ−FKB
PB-MS-0005-9000.pdf
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
General Documents
S.D. Miss.
08/12/2015
Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief [ECF# 1]
PB-MS-0005-0001.pdf
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
S.D. Miss.
09/11/2015
First Amended Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief [ECF# 23]
PB-MS-0005-0002.pdf
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
S.D. Miss.
03/31/2016
Order [ECF# 67]
(175 F.Supp.3d 691)
PB-MS-0005-0003.pdf
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WESTLAW
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LEXIS
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
S.D. Miss.
05/13/2016
Order Granting Motion to Convert Preliminary Injunction Order into Permanent Injunction and Final Judgment [ECF# 70]
PB-MS-0005-0004.pdf
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
S.D. Miss.
05/13/2016
Judgment [ECF# 71]
PB-MS-0005-0005.pdf
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
People
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Judges
Jordan, Daniel Porter III
(S.D. Miss.)
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PB-MS-0005-0003 | PB-MS-0005-0004 | PB-MS-0005-0005
Plaintiff's Lawyers
Burke, Meghann K.
(North Carolina)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Byrd, Sibyl C.
(Mississippi)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Ehrlich, Andrew J.
(New York)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Ellis, Dianne Herman
(Mississippi)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Howard, Jacob W.
(Mississippi)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Hupart, Jacob H.
(New York)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Kaplan, Roberta A.
(New York)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Kaye, Joshua D.
(New York)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Koritz, Alexia D.
(New York)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
McDuff, Robert B.
(Mississippi)
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PB-MS-0005-0002 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Defendant's Lawyers
Goodwin, Tommy D.
(Mississippi)
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PB-MS-0005-0004 | PB-MS-0005-9000
Matheny, Justin L.
(Mississippi)
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PB-MS-0005-9000
Miracle, Douglas T.
(Mississippi)
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PB-MS-0005-9000
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