State doesn't object to expediting marriage case

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas attorney general's office says it doesn't object to the state's highest court moving quickly on a lawsuit challenging a gay-marriage ban.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel's office Tuesday told the Arkansas Supreme Court that it doesn't object to a request by a group of same-sex couples challenging the ban to expedite the case before the high court. The state is appealing a Pulaski County judge's ruling in May striking down a 2004 constitutional amendment and earlier state law defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza's decision led to hundreds of gay couples being wed before the state Supreme Court suspended his ruling.

The court has said it'll hold oral arguments in the case, but hasn't set a date.

Upcoming Events