SAN FRANCISCO, March 6 (UPI) -- San Francisco officials want California's high court to stay out of the state's same-sex wedding controversy, allowing the matter to go to trial.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported city lawyers filed court papers Friday, asking the state's top court to allow same-sex marriages to continue, insisting San Francisco was acting legally in issuing the licenses.
City lawyers argued state laws defining marriage as between a man and woman violate the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians to equal protection and due process of law.
The Chronicle said Saturday San Francisco officials have also added a new weapon to their legal arsenal, arguing the U.S. Constitution, which also guarantees due process and equal protection, is the supreme law of the land and must be followed.
The court is scheduled to meet March 17 to decide what cases to consider, although they could act on the same-sex marriage dispute before then.
