California
attorney general Jerry Brown urged the state supreme court
to review legal challenges to Proposition 8, according
to his statement on Monday. Brown said that the
court's ruling was necessary to ensure that all state
agencies are cohesive in enforcing laws and policies.
"There is
significant public interest in prompt resolution of the
legality of Proposition 8," said Deputy Attorney General
Mark Benington in a statement. The supreme
court could choose to issue a stay on Prop. 8, thus halting
its enforcement until the court rules on the
ballot measure's constitutionality. Unless a stay
or a ruling is handed down, Prop. 8 is legal and gay
couples have no legal right to marriage in the
state.
Lower courts
typically hear cases before the supreme court agrees whether
to review them, but petitioners have asked the state's
highest court to directly accept the review, in order
to promptly resolve the issue.
Brown told the
San Francisco Chronicle in August that if
Prop. 8 were to pass, he believed that same-sex
marriages performed before its passage would be
found valid by the courts. (Michelle Garcia, The
Advocate)
