Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Court to fast track Nevada gay marriage suit

A federal appeals court has granted Nevada's motion to withdraw its support for a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage and agreed to expedite the case.

In an order issued Wednesday, the court granted the motion filed Monday by Attorney General Catherine Cortes Masto to withdraw an earlier brief defending Nevada's constitutional prohibition on gay marriage.

Masto and Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval agreed that a recent appeals court ruling extending civil rights protections to gays and lesbians made Nevada's defense of the law no longer tenable.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also says it will consider the case as soon as possible.

A lawyer for the eight Nevada gay couples involved in the suit says that means oral arguments could be scheduled as early as this spring.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy