From The Examiner

Gay marriage case draws national attention

by Luke Broadwater

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

ANNAPOLIS -- The legal briefs have come from as far as New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia.

In all, the 22 legal filings represent more than 80 clients and advocacy groups and they mean one thing: Maryland is now ground zero for the gay marriage debate.

With arguments scheduled before the Maryland Court of Appeals on Monday, ardent supporters and opponents of gay marriage and gearing up for a landmark case.

"The number of briefs filed reflects the importance of the case," said David Rocah, a staff attorney for the Baltimore branch of the ACLU, which opposes a Maryland law limiting marriage as between one man and one woman. "I think what's extraordinary is the breadth of briefs filed on our side."

The state is asking the high court to overturn a Baltimore City Circuit Court ruling that a Maryland law, which defines marriage between a man and a woman, is unconstitutional.

Sally Rankin, a spokeswoman for the Maryland judiciary, said court officials are attempting to broadcast the gay marriage trial on the Internet, but are worried that high demand will cause the broadcast to crash.

"We are thrilled to death there is so much interest in our webcasting plans," she said. "The only problem is when you have a case that is certainly attracting a lot of attention, bandwidth may be in issue."

The state is looking at a four-day $6,000 hosting contract with an Internet service company to accommodate the added volume to high profile cases, such as the gay marriage hearing.

Meanwhile, advocates are awaiting the arguments with anticipation.

"The issues are very important and we felt like the court in Maryland was headed in the wrong direction in terms of its outcome," said Glen Burnie attorney Owen Taylor, who filed a brief on behalf of the Maryland Center for Law and Justice, which opposes gay marriage. "We wanted to be part of the chorus of voices. We feel that the Maryland code is very clear."

Washington, D.C., attorney Carmen Shepard, who represents the National Association of Social Workers along with other interested parties, filed a brief in support of gay marriage.

"Basically the purpose is [to] rebut a popularly held belief that lesbian and gay parents are not good parents," she said. "Parents are parents and children are children and sexual orientation really takes a back seat to what the child's best interest is. If you have a loving parent, that's what matters."