Getting it straight

In a Dec. 8 Arkansas Supreme Court ruling, four justices formed a majority to reverse and dismiss a lower court ruling that both spouses’ names should appear on a child’s birth certificate, even if the couple are of the same sex. One judge disagreed with the majority’s opinion. Two justices wrote their own separate opinions agreeing in part with the ruling, while dissenting on other parts.

Articles about the case published Dec. 9 and Tuesday described the vote as 6-1. One justice who concurred in part and dissented in part said Tuesday that the vote was 4-3. The other justice said it could be described as a vote of 4-1-1-1.

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