JACKSON — The state Attorney General’s Office has until Aug. 14 to file briefs in a case involving a DeSoto County woman who wants Mississippi to recognize her same-sex marriage in order to grant a divorce.
Lauren Czekala-Chatham has appealed a decision by DeSoto County Chancery Judge Mitchell Lundy Jr. that the Mississippi Constitution and statutes prevented him from taking action. Czekala-Chatham appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Czekala-Chatham and Dana Ann Melancon got married in San Francisco in 2008. They bought a house together in Mississippi the following year, but their relationship soured.
They could get a divorce in California, but Czekala-Chatham says she shouldn’t be treated differently than straight couples. Her lawyer has argued that Mississippi wouldn’t recognize the divorce from California, which could leave their marital property in limbo.
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