Calif. Attorney General Asks Court To Lift Ban On Same-Sex Marriage

California’s attorney general has asked a federal appeals court to allow gay marriages to resume while the court considers the constitutionality of the state’s ban on same-sex unions.

Attorney General Kamala Harris submitted a petition to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday.

The appeals court is considering the Proposition 8 case after a trial judge struck down the ban last year. The court imposed a stay on that ruling during the appeals process.

In Tuesday’s petition, Harris joined lawyers for the two gay couples who sued to overturn Proposition 8 in asking the court to lift the stay.

Harris, who previously served as San Francisco’s district attorney, succeeded Gov. Jerry Brown as attorney general in January. Brown refused to defend Proposition 8 before the appeals court.