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.