Texas candidate files brief opposing marriage equality

Candidate for Texas attorney general Dan Branch has filed a legal brief opposing marriage rights for gays.

Branch said Tuesday that he filed the paperwork with the Texas Supreme Court opposing a lawsuit that seeks to overturn a ban on gay marriage in Texas.

Texas has a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. But gay marriage is allowed in 13 states and the District of Columbia and the U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned a federal law preventing gays from receiving the same benefits as other married couples.

Branch has made opposition to gay marriage a key talking point in his bid to replace Attorney General Greg Abbott. Branch said he worked with Abbott on the brief.

Abbott is running to replace Gov. Rick Perry.