Louisiana Marriage Laws | § La. Const. art. XII, § 15.

Louisiana Constitution of 1974 La. Const. art. XII, § 15.

Defense of Marriage

[See Unconstitutionality Note below.]

Marriage in the state of Louisiana shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman. No official or court of the state of Louisiana shall construe this constitution or any state law to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any member of a union other than the union of one man and one woman. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized. No official or court of the state of Louisiana shall recognize any marriage contracted in any other jurisdiction which is not the union of one man and one woman.

NOTE: See Obergefell v. Hodges, 135 S.Ct. 2584 (U.S. 2015) and Costanza v. Caldwell, 167 So.3d 619 (La. 2015).

Added by Acts 2004, No. 926, §1, approved September 18, 2004, eff. October 19, 2004.

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More Louisiana Marriage Laws

§ La. Const. art. XII, § 15. Defense of Marriage
§ 9:202 Authority to perform marriage ceremony
§ 9:227 Certified copy unavailable; other proof
§ 9:228 Same; court order waiving birth certificate
§ 9:252 Duplicate records of marriage licenses issued; preservation; filing of duplicate copy with state division of vital records; penalty for failure to file
§ 9:221 Authority to issue marriage license
§ 9:211 Relations of the fourth degree
§ 9:223 Form
§ 9:201 Definition
§ 9:204 Officiant other than judge; registration
§ 9:205 Officiant to require marriage license
§ 9:222 Place of issuance
§ 9:294 Covenant spouses' love, respect, and community
§ 9:234 Time and date; indication of covenant marriage
§ 9:226 Certified copy of birth certificate; translation to English
§ 9:235 Valid for thirty days
§ 9:236 Reissuance
§ 9:241 Premature ceremony prohibited
§ 9:244 Witnesses required
§ 9:245 Marriage certificate
§ 9:243 Penalty
§ 9:251 Consolidated form
§ 9:297 Decisionmaking in interest of family
§ 9:242 Waiver of delay
§ 9:256 Penalties
§ 9:261 Opposition to marriage
§ 9:262 Hearing on opposition
§ 9:263 Persons entitled to oppose
§ 9:295 Covenant spouses' obligation to live together
§ 9:255 Tabulation of marriage statistics; annual report
§ 9:274 Covenant marriage; other applicable rules
§ 9:291 Suits between spouses
§ 9:292 Surname of married person
§ 9:293 Law applicable to spouses in covenant marriage
§ 9:296 Right and duty of covenant spouses to manage household
§ 9:275.1 Declaration of intent; married couples; form
§ 9:276 Limitation of liability; pastoral counselor
§ 9:224 Application; information required
§ 9:253 Disposition and recordation of marriage certificates
§ 9:254 Penalty for failure to file or complete marriage certificate
§ 9:203 Officiant; judges and justices of the peace
§ 9:298 Obligations to children of the marriage
§ 9:273.1 Declaration of intent; form
§ 9:275 Covenant marriage; applicability to already married couples
§ 9:225 Documents required; attachments
§ 9:272 Covenant marriage; intent; conditions to create
§ 9:237 Information on matrimonial regime and covenant marriage laws; printed summary
§ 9:273 Covenant marriage; contents of declaration of intent