Lawyers for gay
and lesbian couples will get two more weeks to possibly
challenge the Washington State supreme court's ruling
upholding the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
Plaintiffs' attorneys still haven't decided whether to
ask the high court to reconsider its 5-4 decision,
which held that the state's law limiting marriage to
heterosexual couples is constitutional.
The court has
agreed to move the deadline for a reconsideration filing
from August 15 to August 29 while the lawyers consider their
next move. "The longer we have to think about it, the
better off we are," said Lisa Stone, director of the
Northwest Women's Law Center. "We are analyzing every
conceivable option, and nothing's off the table at
this point."
Supreme court
justices rarely agree to revisit a ruling, lawyers in the
case said. "It's an important case, so I think the court's
obviously going to keep treating it that way," said
state assistant attorney general Bill Collins, who
defended the state's Defense of Marriage Act in court.
(AP)