The Washington
State supreme court expects to issue its long-awaited
ruling in a case challenging the state's same-sex marriage
ban on Wednesday, justices announced. The short
notice, posted on the court's Web site Tuesday, gave
no indication of how the court might rule.
The 38 plaintiffs
in the case--19 gay and lesbian couples seeking to
marry--challenged the constitutionality of the state's
1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which limits marriage to
heterosexual couples. In 2004, judges in King and
Thurston counties overturned the law, citing the state
constitution's "privileges and immunities" section. The
cases were consolidated for supreme court review.
In arguments
before the court in March 2005, plaintiffs' attorneys argued
that the same-sex marriage ban violates a constitutional
prohibition against granting privileges to one group
of citizens and not another. They also argued that the
marriage ban violates the state's Equal Rights
Amendment.
Attorneys
defending the marriage law said the state has a rational
reason for limiting marriage to heterosexual couples
because the state has an interest in regulating
relationships that produce children. (AP)
