Lawmakers in North Carolina on Monday
vowed to “formally 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.
Marriage equality advocates said Monday
they would ask a federal judge to lift the state's ban.
In a joint news release, General
Assembly leaders Thom Tillis and Phil Berger, both Republicans who
supported passage of the state's constitutional amendment defining
marriage as a heterosexual union, announced they would defend the ban
in court.
“The people of North Carolina have
spoken, and while the Supreme Court has not issued a definitive
ruling on the issue of traditional marriage, we are hopeful they will
soon,” they said. “Until then, we will vigorously defend the
values of our state and the will of the more than 60 percent of North
Carolina voters who made it clear that marriage is between one man
and one woman.”
According to the
AP, a spokeswoman for Berger said the lawmakers are “in the
process of exploring their options” and plan to hire outside
counsel.
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.”
Republican Governor Pat McCrory said in
a statement that he disagrees with the Supreme Court's decision and
that “we will continue to respect the legal process as it
proceeds.”