Court rejects D.C. same-sex marriage case

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court refused Tuesday to review lower-court rulings denying a referendum on the District of Columbia's same sex marriage law.

The district's City Council voted in 2009 to allow same sex marriages.

A Beltsville, Md., pastor started the movement to seek a D.C. referendum on same sex marriages, The Washington Post reported. Referendum supporters said it is up to Congress, not the council, to set policy on ballot initiatives.

The district's Board of Elections and Ethics denied attempts to put the policy to a vote, and local courts have said its action was justified, the Post said. The D.C. Court of Appeals upheld the board's decision.

Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected review of the case without comment.