Indiana Gov. Pence hopes court backs states' rights on marriage

Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Official photo.

Indianapolis (AP) — Gov. Mike Pence says he hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold Indiana's right to enact marriage laws when the issue of same-sex unions reaches the high court.

Indiana law defines marriage as between one man and one woman, but the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled that law was unconstitutional. The court's ruling affirmed U.S. District Judge Richard Young's decision in June to overturn the ban.

The state says it will seek a stay of the ruling pending an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Lawmakers had pushed to amend the ban into the state constitution, but the measure was kept off the November ballot when they changed the language of the proposed amendment during this year's legislative session.

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The Gayly – September 5, 2014 @ 10:25am