SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- San Francisco city lawyers are contending in court documents California's ban on gay marriages is a form of discrimination.
Court documents filed in Superior Court by the city Thursday argued the state law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples was an arbitrary ban violating the rights of citizens to marry anyone they choose.
The San Francisco Chronicle said Friday the city's arguments were based in part on a 1948 decision by the state Supreme Court that struck down barriers to interracial marriage and declared Californians were free to "join in marriage with the person of one's choice."
The state attorney general's office plans to respond to the arguments next week; however, the Chronicle said a group supporting the ban contends the ban is legal and compares to restrictions on polygamy.
