A federal appeals court has ordered Indiana to recognize the marriage of a lesbian couple on the death certificate that is issued when one terminally ill partner dies.
Tuesday's ruling came after the court stayed a federal judge's order setting aside Indiana's prohibition of gay marriage as unconstitutional.
Lawyers from Lambda Legal had asked the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago for the continued recognition of the marriage between Amy Sandler and Niki Quasney, who is fighting advanced ovarian cancer.
The women, who were legally married in Massachusetts last year, filed a lawsuit seeking to force Indiana to recognize their marriage. They were granted emergency recognition last month while their case proceeded, in part so Sandler's name could appear on Quasney's death certificate as her spouse.