Lawyer: Backers Want Review Of Gay Marriage Case
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Backers of California's same-sex marriage ban say they will ask a federal appeals court in San Francisco to review the split decision by three of its judges that struck down the voter-approved law.
Andy Pugno, legal counsel for the Protect Marriage Coalition, says the backers elected to appeal to a bigger 9th Circuit panel and against going directly to the U.S. Supreme Court to seek the reversal of the opinion that Proposition 8 violates the civil rights of gay and lesbian
Lawyers for the religious and legal groups that qualified the ban for the 2008 ballot had faced a Tuesday deadline for petitioning the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals to rehear the 2-1 ruling issued two weeks ago.
The move means same-sex marriages will remain on hold at least until the 9th Circuit decides to accept or reject the rehearing petition.