Suit challenging Georgia gay marriage ban to be filed
By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press
ATLANTA — A gay rights group says it plans to file a federal lawsuit in Atlanta to challenge the state of Georgia’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.
Lambda Legal plans to file the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of seven people and seeks class action status. They plan to sue the state registrar and clerks of the Gwinnett and Fulton county probate courts.
Georgia voters in 2004 overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage. The ban was challenged in courts by gay rights groups who targeted the wording of the ballot question, but the state Supreme Court ultimately ruled in 2006 that the vote was valid.
The state constitution prohibits same-sex marriage and says such marriages performed in other states aren’t legally recognized in Georgia.
Gay marriage is legal in 17 states.
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