Georgia’s top court granted the state’s request for an expedited review of ruling striking down the state’s constitutional ban on gay marriage.
A statement from the Georgia Supreme Court released Tuesday said the court will hear arguments in the case on June 27.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has said that if the court fails to rule on the issue by Aug. 7 he will call a special session of the state Legislature so that another measure can be placed before voters on the November election ballot. Seventy-six percent of voters in 2004 approved the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages.
Earlier this month a Superior Court judge declared the state’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional because the ballot measure asked voters to decide on two separate questions. The state immediately announced its intention to appeal.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, May 26, 2006.