Armed with her marriage license and federally-issued paperwork reflecting her name change — documents, her lawyers write, that many couples frequently use to change their information on state-issued cards — McEldowney went to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles to get a license with her married name.

But, according to court filings, the DMV has twice rejected applications to have her married name on her driver's license. This exclusion, McEldowney's attorneys argue, violates her constitutional rights and is discriminatory based on her sexual orientation. The lawsuit asks a judge to order state officials to allow McEldowney to get a license with her married name, and to rule that the DMV's actions were unconstitutional.