Same-sex marriage has been legal in Missouri since the U. Supreme Court 's landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges , which struck down state bans on marriages between two people of the same sex on June 26, Prior to the court ruling, the state recognized same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions pursuant to a state court ruling in October , and certain jurisdictions of the state performed same-sex marriages despite a statewide ban.
On November 5, , a state court ruling striking down Missouri's same-sex marriage ban ordered St. Louis to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
In response to this ruling, St. Louis County also began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On November 7, , a federal court struck down Missouri's same-sex marriage ban but stayed its order directing Jackson County to issue licenses to same-sex couples. Despite the stay, Jackson County began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples immediately following the ruling.
Assessing the state of same-sex marriage litigation in December , Marc Solomon of Freedom to Marry said, "Missouri is the most complex state on this issue. In December , Representative Chris Sander introduced a constitutional amendment to repeal the ban. Sander said, "My intent with the language is to have the Missouri Constitution in line with federal law because I believe federal law is the correct ruling.
This country has a history of saying who can't get married in an ugly way. In June, activists announced that they had initiated a petition to repeal the same-sex marriage ban. The petition required more than , signatures to be collected, verified, and submitted by May 6, ; however, it did not appear on the ballot. Missouri statutes prohibited the recognition of same-sex marriages validity performed in other jurisdictions, though this provision is now unenforceable. On November 14, , Governor Jay Nixon issued an executive order allowing same-sex couples married in other jurisdictions to file a combined Missouri income tax return if they file their federal return jointly.
