US: ACLU lawyers seek speedy ruling against North Carolina same-sex marriage ban

Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina plan to return to court within the next week to seek a fast ruling in an attempt to quickly strike down the state’s same-sex marriage ban.

The ACLU is expected to file a motion within days asking a district court judge to rule based on a ruling issued by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday.

In that decision, the appeals court ruled that Virginia’s 2006 voter-approved laws barring same-sex marriage and denying recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states violate US constitutional rights.

The appeals court in that ruling has jurisdiction over Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina – leading the ACLU to move forward with challenging the ban.

There are currently four cases pending against the state’s ban, two of which were filed by the ACLU.

In the wake of Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban being ruled unconstitutional, North Carolina’s attorney general said earlier this week that prosecutors will not continue to defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

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