Andersen V. King County

Andersen v. King County, 138 P.3d 963 (Wash. 2006) — formerly Andersen v. Sims — is a case filed by eight Washingtonian lesbian and gay couples, who sued King County and the state of Washington for denying them marriage licenses under the state’s 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The state supreme court ruled that banning gay marriage is constitutional in that it furthers the government interest in promoting procreation. The state legislature approved gay marriage in 2012; voters approved it in a referendum on November 6.