SALEM, Ore. – The top state prosecutors in Oregon and Washington have filed briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage. The high court is expected to take up the cases later this month.
The first case involves an effort to strike down California's Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage. The second case involves efforts to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, both Democrats, called bans on same-sex marriage unfair and discriminatory. They've joined attorneys general in about a dozen other states in filing the brief on behalf of those seeking to overturn the bans.
A Supreme Court ruling could have broad implications for people in both states. Washington voters approved same-sex marriage last year, but those marriages aren't recognized by the federal government or in most other states. State constitutions in Oregon and Idaho only recognizes marriages between a man and a woman.
On the Web:
Filings in the DOMA and California’s Prop 8 cases - US Supreme Court
Oregon Attorney General statement - Oregon Department of Justice
Washington Attorney General statement - Office of the Attorney General