Posted: January 10, 2003

Attorney General Asks Judge to Dismiss ICLU Same-Sex Marriage Suit

Indiana's Attorney General Steve Carter has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the ICLU on behalf of three local gay couples who want their Vermont civil unions recognized in the state of Indiana. The GLBT community has been divided in its support for the lawsuit, some of whom have argued that the ICLU has their own agenda and felt that community leaders were "blindsided" by the suit.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of a male and two female couples, argues that Indiana's law banning same-sex marriage violates the state's constitution by denying equal privileges for all its citizens.

According to a recently published article in the Indianapolis Star, the attorney general's office argued in a brief asking for the suit to be dismissed that Indiana's prohibition against same-sex marriage is constitutional, citing that the state had "a compelling interest" in promoting traditional marriages.

The ICLU had not read the brief at the time of the Star's publishing of the article.