The ACLU of Eastern Missouri has filed a federal lawsuit against the state prison facility at Jefferson City over a policy they say is barring inmates from getting married.
According to the suit, Gena Fuller, one of the plaintiffs, was scheduled to re-marry her ex-husband on September 24th. He’s an inmate at the Jefferson City Correctional Center. ACLU officials say the wedding never took place because of a new policy requiring all visitors to disclose their Social Security numbers to prison staff upon entering. Cole County Recorder of Deeds Larry Rademan refused to give out his Social Security number, and as a result was not able to witness the marriage license signatures for Fuller and several other couples that day.
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court’s Western Missouri District.