US: Indiana couples object to request for full appeals court panel in gay marriage ban challenge
Gay and lesbian couples challenging Indiana’s ban on same-sex marriage have voiced opposition to a request from the state to have a full appeals court panel hear the case.
The state requested that all 10 members of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals hear the case.
Human rights groups the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana, Lambda Legal and a private law firm have argued that a three-judge panel will suffice in the appeal.
The state of Wisconsin has also made the same request.
Both states have had their same-sex marriage ban struck down, and the US 7th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month combined and fast-tracked cases from Indiana and Wisconsin.
The gay couples argue that other appeals courts have used three-judge panels for similar cases.
US District Judge Barbara Crabb struck down Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban on June 7, while Judge Richard Young declared the Indiana Defence of Marriage Act unconstitutional on June 25.
Marriages in both states were halted, after Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen and Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller had appealed.
