An appeal to a ruling striking down
Virginia's ban on gay marriage will be expedited, the 4th
Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond announced Monday.
Briefs in the case are scheduled to be
filed by March 28, while arguments are set for May 12-15.
Plaintiffs in the case, two same-sex
couples, and Attorney General Mark Herring had sought the expedited
review.
Herring is among the 7 Democratic
attorneys general who have refused to defend such bans in court.
U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen
handed down her ruling last month, less than 10 days after hearing
arguments in the case, Bostic v. Rainey. Allen declared the
state's ban unconstitutional but stayed her decision pending an
appeal.