Imperial County officials have renewed
their effort to defend California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8,
in court, the AP reported.
The effort comes a month after an
appeals court ruled the county could not intervene as a defendant in
the first federal case to question the constitutionality of a gay
marriage ban.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has
asked the California Supreme Court to decide whether the law's
sponsors, ProtectMarriage.com, have the legal standing to defend it
in court, but the court dismissed the county's request.
At the time, the county's head
elections clerk declined to join the suit. But armed with a newly
elected clerk, the county filed new paperwork on Friday to rejoin the
proceedings.
Proposition 8 backers believe the
county's inclusion is critical because top state officials have
refused to defend the law in court. Former Republican Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, as
attorney general, called the law indefensible.
On Wednesday, lawyers
for the plaintiffs asked the appeals court to allow the weddings of
gay and lesbian couples to resume.