Republican leaders in the North
Carolina legislature have hired John Eastman, the chairman of the
National Organization for Marriage (NOM), to defend the state's ban
on gay marriage.
North Carolina's ban remains in place
but is threatened by the Supreme Court's decision not to hear appeals
in five cases challenging bans in Utah, Virginia, Indiana, Oklahoma
and Wisconsin. Virginia and North Carolina are under the
jurisdiction of the same appellate court.
House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate
President Phil Berger vowed to intervene in the case shortly after
marriage equality advocates said they would ask a federal judge to
lift the state's ban.
North Carolina Attorney General Roy
Cooper, a Democrat, announced in July he would no longer defend the
ban, saying “there are really no arguments left to be made.”
Reached by the Charlotte
Observer, Eastman refused to confirm or deny the news “until
I speak to some folks about what's happening.”
A federal judge could issue a ruling at
any time.