Lively debate, but no ruling, in gay-marriage hearing
SAN ANTONIO — After hearing almost two hours of arguments Wednesday morning, U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia told a crowded courtroom that he will decide the future of Texas’ ban on gay marriage at a later, unspecified date.
Two same-sex couples, including two women from Austin, have asked Garcia to find that the state ban violates the U.S. Constitution’s right to equal protection under the law.
Mike Murphy, an assistant solicitor general in Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office, argued that the couples are trying to “rewrite over 150 years of Texas law” by asking courts to intervene in the democratic process.
“These questions are political questions, not federal constitutional rights,” he told Garcia.
More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/lively-debate-but-no-ruling-in-gay-marriage-hearin/ndMFb/ .
