The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has struck down a court order to list gay parents on a child’s birth certificate. The child was adopted in New York, which allows gay adoptions, but was born in Louisiana. Louisiana does not permit any unmarried couples, whether adopting out-of state or in-state, to obtain revised birth certificates with both parents’ names on them.

The couple brought suit alleging Louisiana had violated the Full Faith and Credit Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Full faith and credit is a legal principle which requires judges to validate and enforce judgments from other jurisdictions. In rejecting the full faith and credit argument, the Fifth Circuit court said that it only applies to state courts, not state officials. The court also denied the Equal Protection claim, finding that adoption is not a fundamental right.

Sources: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/120205554.html