INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller is preparing to defend the state's ban on gay marriage by supporting California in the pending Supreme Court battle.

Zoeller said Friday he will file an amicus brief with the high court when it takes up California's ban on gay marriage and the federal Defense of Marriage Act next year.

The Supreme Court's decision to take up the volatile social issue comes shortly after the first states in the nation approved gay marriage on statewide ballots and as Indiana lawmakers decide whether to send a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to a referendum.

Zoeller made the announcement during a year-end news conference. He defended his decision to stop defending the state's immigration laws following a Supreme Court ruling invalidating similar measures in Arizona.