Suthers will not defend Colorado gay marriage ban in federal case
Source: Denver Post
Attorney General John Suthers will not defend Colorado's ban on same-sex marriage in a lawsuit in federal court and asked the judge overseeing the case to halt all proceedings.
In a motion filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, Suthers, in coordination with Gov. John Hickenlooper, asked the judge to halt proceedings in the case until a higher court rules on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to strike down Utah's ban on gay marriage. As part of the request, Suthers asked that a stay be put in place, ensuring that county clerks do not begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples until a higher court makes a ruling.
"We hope and believe that if granted, today's motion will help end the divisive, costly, and now unnecessary litigation regarding same-sex marriage in Colorado," Solicitor General Dan Domenico said in a statement. "In other words, the legal debate about this question will be suspended in Colorado as we await finality from the 10th Circuit or U.S. Supreme Court."
On Tuesday, six Colorado couples filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to declare the state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. The lawsuit named Hickenlooper, Suthers and clerks from Denver and Jefferson counties. All joined in the request to stop the proceedings Wednesday.
Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_26076046/boulder-sends-response-suthers-continues-issuing-same-sex
