Maryland AG Defends Marriage Announcement

Maryland attorney general Douglas F. Gansler, who announced last month that the state would recognize same-sex marriages performed out of state, finds himself rebutting accusations that the legal opinion is politically motivated.

According to The Washington Post, some state lawmakers say the high-profile announcement took the media focus from issues like the economy and crime, and represented opportunism on behalf of Gansler, a presumed gubernatorial contender.

"Gansler, 47, defended the timing of his announcement on gay marriage, saying he was responding to a request from a senator for an opinion on the issue," reports the Post. "But the news immediately cast a shadow over the General Assembly's other work and injected a controversial issue into an election year in which his fellow Democrats feel threatened."

Prior to the announcement, Gansler was seen as a public figure with a low-key public image, a reversal of his long-running reputation for brashness.