Washington State: 2004: Andersen v. Sims

In March of 2004, the Northwest Women’s Law Center and Lambda Legal filed Andersen v. Sims on behalf of eight Washington same-sex couples who were denied marriage licenses. The suit was filed in the Superior Court of King County. The plaintiffs argued that Washington’s same-sex marriage ban violates several provisions of the Washington Constitution. Defendants argued that preserving heterosexual marriage is a legitimate state interest well met by Washington’s statute. Andersen was decided on August 4, 2004. The Court held that the plaintiffs have a fundamental right to marry, and that prohibiting same-sex marriage neither serves a compelling state interest nor rationally relates to a legitimate state interest. Defendants appealed. Andersen v. Sims will be consolidated with the second case challenging Washington's ban on same-sex marriage, Castle v. Washington. The cases will be heard in Washington Supreme Court in 2005.

Peter Illgenfritz and David Shull, two plaintiffs in Andersen v. Sims, met while studying at Yale Divinity School, and are co-pastors of the University Congregational United Church of Christ in Seattle.

Beth Reis and Barbara Steele, two plaintiffs in Andersen v. Sims, have been together for 27 years, raised their children into adulthood, and seen the birth of their 11th grandchild.