JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge has overturned Mississippi’s ban on allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan, in a preliminary injunction issued Thursday, ruled for the couples who had sued, saying the ban is unconstitutional after recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions legalizing gay marriage and benefits for gay couples. He ordered John Davis, executive director of the Department of Human Services to stop enforcing it.
Hattiesburg resident Kathy Garner said she was overwhelmed with joy. She and wife Susan Hrostowski sued to allow Hrostowski to adopt 16-year-old Hudson Garner.
Garner said the couple had contacted their local lawyer and planned to file adoption papers in Forrest County Chancery Court as early as Friday.
