A federal judge has set an August trial
date for a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's ban on gay marriage.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb set
an
August 25 trial date, setting aside 5 days to hear arguments in
the case.
Lawyers representing the state had
asked Crabb to delay the case until the Wisconsin Supreme Court rules
in a separate case challenging the state's domestic partnership
registry. The registry extends a limited number of protections for
gay and lesbian couples, but opponents argue that it violates the
state's 2006 voter-approved constitutional amendment banning marriage
and anything substantially similar to it for gay couples. An appeals
court has previously upheld the registry.
Crabb denied the state's request.
Lead plaintiffs in the case are Carol
Schumacher and Virginia Wolf of Eau Claire, who are asking the court
to force the state to recognize their out-of-state marriage.
Wisconsin law also makes it a crime for
gay couples to legally marry in another state.