for summary judgment. Judge Kristine Baker heard oral arguments on November 20. On November 25, Baker ruled for the plaintiffs and stayed her ruling pending appeal. Judge Baker found that the state's ban on same-sex marriage violated the plaintiffs' fundamental right to marry, requiring justification under the strict scrutiny standard. She also ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage is a form of sex discrimination, which is therefore reviewed under the standard known as heightened scrutiny. She rejected the plaintiffs' contention that the ban violated their right to travel and that it constituted discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Attorney General McDaniel said that before deciding whether to appeal the decision he would confer with Leslie Rutledge, who was due to succeed him as attorney general in January 2015. The state filed a notice of appeal in the Eighth Circuit on December 23. The Eighth Circuit dismissed the appeal and affirmed the district court's decision on August 11, 2015. Frazier-Henson v. Walther On February 13, 2015, two same-sex couples in "window marriages", married in May 2014 while a state court's order enjoining enforcement of the state's same-sex marriage ban was in force, brought suit in state court seeking to require the state to recognize their marriages. They named three state officials as defendants. They asked the court to rule on behalf of all same-sex couples married in May. State Judge Wendell Griffen ruled on June 9, 2015 that the 541 same-sex marriages conducted between May 9 and May 16 were valid. Obergefell v. Hodges On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage bans violate the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in the United States, including in Arkansas. Immediately following the ruling, same-sex couples began obtaining marriage licenses in Arkansas. All counties in the state announced their intention to comply, expect Cleburne, Van Buren and Yell counties which refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples until relenting on June 29. Governor Asa Hutchinson responded to the ruling by stating, "Today the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision requires the State of Arkansas to recognize same-sex marriage. This decision goes against the expressed view of Arkansans and my personal beliefs and convictions. While my personal convictions will not change, as Governor I recognize the responsibility of the state to follow the