Montana is officially the 34th state to allow same sex-marriage. US District Court Judge Brian Morris stated that: "Montana no longer can deprive Plaintiffs and other same-sex couples of the chance to marry their loves. This Court recognizes that not everyone will celebrate this outcome." In 1997, the Montana legislature passed a same-sex marriage ban not allowing same sex or any other “contractual relationships” to be recognized as a legal union.
A constitutional amendment was approved in the State of Montana known as Initiative 96 that prohibited the recognition of same sex unions in the state of Montana. As of Wednesday, November 19th, 2014, this has since been deemed unconstitutional. By overturning Initiative 96, it recognizes that same sexes have the same equal protection of the law of the fourteenth amendment that has been laid out in the United States Constitution. The United States Constitution guarantees dignity and privacy to man and woman and it was challenged that Initiative 96 removed those rights and were discriminatory. The Equal Protection Clause which is contained in the Civil Rights Act of 1866 guaranteed that all citizens would have the same rights as white citizens. This clause has been used to –several other cases of discrimination against individuals of certain groups and affiliations.
Four same sex couples filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the definition of marriage. Marriage is known to be a civil contract that is dealt with by law.