INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Attorneys trying to defend a federal ruling overturning Indiana's gay-marriage ban argue that marriage is more than just a state regulation _ it's a fundamental right.
Attorneys for several same-sex couples who successfully challenged Indiana's ban on gay marriage filed a brief outlining their arguments Tuesday with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The brief also says 19 states and the District of Columbia permit same-sex couples to marry.
Federal judges in Indiana and Wisconsin overturned each state's gay marriage ban in separate rulings. When both states appealed, the appeals court combined the cases. The court has scheduled oral arguments in both states' appeals for Aug. 26.
Hundreds of same-sex couples were married in both states after the bans were overturned and before stays were issued.
