Sixty-five cases challenging state bans
on gay marriage have been filed, leaving only five state bans
unchallenged.
The count was published Thursday by
Lambda
Legal, the Boston-based legal group which specializes in LGBT
rights.
Alaska, Georgia, Montana, North Dakota
and South Dakota are the only states with bans that remain
unchallenged.
However, two of those states, Alaska
and Montana, are under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals, which is preparing to review challenges to bans in Nevada
and Oregon. Officials in neither state are defending their bans in
the cases.
All told, 550 plaintiffs are
participating in the legal actions.
Forty-four of the cases have been filed
in federal courts, a startling number considering marriage equality
advocates steadfastly avoided federal courts, fearing a Supreme Court
decision could set back the movement decades. A 2009 case settled
last year challenging California's ban led the way to federal courts.