Equal treatment for gay couple on supervised release

The ACLU describes a recent case of a same-sex couple on supervised release after their convictions for possession of meth. Typically, individuals on this type of probation are not allowed to interact with other felons, but exceptions are usually made for close family members. This couple, however, was initially prohibited from seeing each other, and spent over a year without contact while their case made its way through appeals. The ACLU managed to get the decision overturned:

After acknowledging the long-term commitment that the couple has made to each other and noting the great strides both have made in their recovery, Judge Katz ruled today that the couple can no longer be barred from having contact with each other. Relying on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas, Judge Katz ruled that same-sex couples have the same right to form intimate relationships as opposite sex couples and that it is unconstitutional to treat same-sex couples differently.

"This is truly a great day for our clients who have been barred from having any contact with each other for more than a year," said Mary Catherine Roper, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Pennsylvania. "By honoring their commitment to each other and fighting to be together, Dan and Steven have helped to bring about ground-breaking law requiring equal treatment for same-sex couples."

That's a nice silver lining to uncover at the end of an addiction and a jail sentence.