CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) – State lawyers for Gov. Brian Sandoval say Nevada’s constitutional ban on gay marriage serves a legitimate purpose of preserving traditional marriage.
The attorney general’s office late Jan. 21 filed a response with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over a challenge to Nevada’s definition of marriage.
A federal judge upheld the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage in 2012. U.S District Judge Robert Jones tossed out a lawsuit filed by eight same-sex couples who argued an amendment passed by voters in 2002 defining marriage as between a man and a woman is unconstitutional.
Nevada’s fight over gay marriage comes as federal courts in other states have struck down similar measures, most recently in Utah and Oklahoma.
A bill repealing Nevada’s ban was approved by the 2013 Legislature but needs further action.
