Same-sex marriage is not allowed in Northern Ireland, the Belfast High Court has ruled. Three couples brought legal challenges. Two of them are currently in civil partnerships and brought a judicial review. The third couple, who married in England in 2014 but live in Northern Ireland, sought to challenge the law because their marriage is treated as a civil partnership in Northern Ireland.
Dismissing all three appeals, the court said it was the Stormont Assembly’s role to make decisions about social policy, not his. Same-sex marriage is legal in Ireland but not Northern Ireland.
Hannah Saxe, family and divorce associate at Irwin Mitchell Private Wealth, said: ‘The Assembly actually voted in favour of equal marriage by a slim majority in November 2015, but the motion was blocked.
‘This decision will certainly mean renewed pressure on the Assembly from equal marriage campaigners to bring about legislative change; after all, if people want to get married, whoever they are, they should be allowed to so that there is equality in terms of the legal protection and rights available to them and their families.’
