Justices asked to toss out domestic violence law

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court is being asked to rule the state’s Domestic Violence Law unconstitutional because it does not protect unwed same-sex couples.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports (http://bit.ly/1L7VdWZ ) attorneys petitioned the court Wednesday after a Richland County judge earlier refused to give a restraining order to a woman who was hit by her former fiancée who is also a woman.

The woman seeking the order said she felt threatened.

But the court denied the request because the law says domestic violence victims are defined as a “household member” who is a spouse, a former spouse, people who have a child in common or men and women who are living together or formerly did so.

The petition said same-sex, unmarried couples don’t have the same protections.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com