NEW MEXICO: GOP Lawmakers Join Hate Group In Brief Against Gay Marriage

With the support of the anti-gay hate group Alliance Defending Freedom, two dozen current and former GOP members of the New Mexico legislature have filed a brief against the same-sex marriage case pending before the state Supreme Court.

The Republican lawmakers, represented by a conservative Christian law group called the Alliance Defending Freedom, said anti-discrimination and equal protection guarantees in the state constitution do not provide a legal right to marriage for same-sex couples. The lawmakers said that "the judiciary should exercise caution when asked to divine fundamental and important constitutional rights not expressly provided in the Constitution's text." The gay marriage issue has moved to the political front burner in New Mexico since August when Dona Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins decided independently to allow marriage licenses for same-sex couples. At least seven other county clerks have followed, some because of rulings in lawsuits brought by same-sex couples.

The ACLU filed a supportive brief on Monday. The case will be heard late next month.