Gay rights groups, ACLU support federal challenge to California’s ban on gay marriage

Gay groups back federal challenge to marriage ban

SAN FRANCISCO — Two gay rights group and the American Civil Liberties Union are backing a federal lawsuit seeking to restore gay marriage in California.

In legal documents filed late Thursday, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal and the ACLU signaled a significant break with past legal tactics that avoided taking the fight to federal court.

Some gay rights activists have been concerned that a conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court could broadly rule against same-sex marriages.

The lesbian center, Lambda Legal and the ACLU now say they support the legal arguments of former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson and David Boies. The two prominent litigators filed the federal lawsuit in May alleging that California’s ban violates federal anti-discrimination protections.