Maryland Attorney General Douglas F.
Gansler released a long-awaited opinion on gay marriage Wednesday
morning, the Washington Post reported.
Gansler, a Democrat, concluded that
Maryland's highest court is likely to decide in favor of recognizing
gay marriage performed in other states.
The Court of Appeals “will likely
apply the principle that a marriage is valid in the place of
celebration is valid in Maryland,” Gansler said in a 45-page
opinion.
“The opinion reaches this conclusion
in light of the evolving state policy, reflected in
anti-discrimination laws, domestic partner laws and other
legislation, that respects and supports committed intimate same-sex
relationships,” he added.
Proponents of gay marriage are likely
to use the opinion, which is only an interpretation, to persuade
state agencies and courts to rule in their favor.
Maryland currently bans gay marriage by
law. Earlier in the month, a
key House committee killed a bill that would have prohibited the
state from recognizing legal gay marriages performed in other states.
A gay marriage law in the District of
Columbia, which cuts into Maryland's western border, is expected to
take effect on March 3.