LITTLE ROCK — A Pulaski County judge has opened a hearing in a lawsuit challenging Arkansas' constitutional ban on gay marriage.
State voters in 2004 approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. A number of same-sex couples filed suit this year asking that the amendment be set aside.
The lawsuit names officials from around the state, including county clerks and the state of Arkansas. The government wants the case dismissed, while those who sued are seeking an injunction to stop enforcement of the amendment.
The lawsuit was filed in July, less than a week after the U.S. Supreme Court issued two rulings supporting same-sex couples.