Wright v. Arkansas  Wright v. Arkansas is a same-sex marriage case pending before the Arkansas Supreme Court. An Arkansas Circuit Court judge ruled the Arkansas Constitution's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional on May 9, 2014. He clarified his opinion to include state statutes that interfered with allowing or recognizing same-sex marriage as well. The state Supreme Court issued a stay in the case on May 16, 2014, but approximately 450 same-sex marriage licenses were issued before the stay went into effect. On July 2, 2013, a group same-sex couples filed a state lawsuit challenging Arkansas Constitution Amendment 83's definition of marriage and its denial of recognition to same-sex unions established in other jurisdictions. It named nine state officials and several country clerks as defendants. They claimed violations of their rights to privacy, due process, and equal protection, as well noncompliance with the full faith and credit clause. After additional plaintiffs joined the suit, the plaintiffs were 20 couples, some of whom had married in Iowa, Massachusetts, or Canada, some of whom were registered as domestic partners in Eureka Springs and one in California, and some of whom had been denied marriage licenses by county clerks in Arkansas. Two of the couples sued on behalf of three children as well. "Wright v. Arkansas" was assigned to state Circuit Judge Chris Piazza. "Wright" survived a motion to dismiss on December 12, 2013. On February 26, 2014, the plaintiff couples filed a motion for summary judgment. at the conclusion of oral arguments on April 17, Judge Piazza announced his intention to rule on that motion within two weeks. On May 9, 2014, Judge Piazza ruled in "Wright v. Arkansas", granting the plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment and striking down Arkansas's same-sex marriage ban. He wrote: "The exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage for no rational basis violates the fundamental right to privacy and equal protection ... The difference between opposite-sex and same-sex families is within the privacy of their homes." Judge Piazza did not act on an initial motion for a stay on the implementation of his decision. The next day, May 10, was a Saturday when county offices are typically closed, but several clerks' offices were open because Arkansas was in its early voting period for an upcoming primary. The first same-sex marriage license was issued that morning in Eureka Springs. On Monday, May 12, more counties, including the state's most populous county, Pulaski, which includes Little Rock, begin issuing licenses.