Steve Stolen (left), his 16-year-old daughter Abbey MacPherson Stolen and husband Rob MacPherson gather outside the federal building in Chicago after the same-sex marriage hearing Tuesday in the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. All three are plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. Lindsey Erdody | Herald-Times
Lindsey Erdody and Rachel Bunn, Herald-Times
CHICAGO — No rainbow flags were flying outside as they were Monday night, no T-shirts were being handed out and no posters were held high.
But spirits were high on the 25th floor of the federal building in Chicago Tuesday morning as a crowd of about 200 people snaked through the carpeted hallway, waiting for the clock to hit 9 a.m.
Some people arrived as early as 3 a.m. in fear of not getting inside the courtroom to hear the oral arguments in the Indiana and Wisconsin same-sex marriage cases before the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. By 7 a.m., a line had formed.
When U.S. marshals shuffled people into the wooden benches, nearly everyone had a seat. The hearing lasted slightly longer than estimated, with the three-judge panel peppering attorneys with questions about the legality of a gay marriage ban and the consequences of allowing it. The federal judges had fewer inquiries for lawyers representing the same-sex couples, but no decision has been issued.
For plaintiffs in the cases, the hearing left them hopeful.
Before the hearing
Once the three judges were announced, plaintiffs were relieved.
“We just learned who the judges are,” retired Indianapolis Fire Department battalion chief Ruth Morrison said. “So we’re feeling real good right now.”
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