Two Developments On Two Fronts In The Same-Sex Marriage Battle
Lawsuit And Initiative To Receive New Challenges
First, the Associated Press reported today that the State of Oregon will be making a move against Judge Frank Bearden's recent ruling:
Oregon probably will seek a stay of a Multnomah County judge’s ruling that more than 3,000 same-sex marriages be recognized as valid, a spokesman for Attorney General Hardy Myers said Wednesday.
Kevin Neely said it’s “more likely than not” that appeals judges will be asked to suspend that part of Circuit Judge Frank Bearden’s overall ruling that the state’s marriage law unconstitutionally deprives same-sex couples of equal rights.
Neely said that a stay would limit the confusion during an appeal regarding the legal benefits to which married same-sex couples are entitled.
Also reported is that attorneys likely will ask that the Court of Appeals kick the case directly to the Oregon Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, another AP story reports that the ACLU of Oregon is movign against the ballot initiative which would amend the Oregon Constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman:
The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the ballot title for an initiative to ban same-sex marriages, saying the current wording doesn't fully convey the scope and effect of the measure.
The challenge, filed Thursday in the Oregon Supreme Court, likely will keep the initiative campaign on hold for several more weeks, making it tougher for same-sex marriage opponents to place their measure on the November ballot.
Backers of the initiative need to gather over 100,000 valid signatures by July 2 in order to qualify the measure for the November ballot, but now that the ballot title has been challenged, they must wait utnil a court approves one.