SOUTH DAKOTA: Lawyer Asks For Summary Judgment In Marriage Case

Via KSFY-ABC in Sioux Falls:

There's a development in the lawsuit to overturn South Dakota's ban on same-sex marriage. The Minneapolis-based lawyer, Joshua Newville, does not want the case to go to trial. Instead, he wants the judge to rule the ban is unconstitutional, and legalize same-sex marriage. And he says he has precedence on his side. Newville enlisted the help of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and said he wants the judge to bypass a trial and declare the same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. "Of the 22 or 23 cases that have been decided in the last year, the vast majority of them have been decided this way," Newville said. He added this will speed up the process. "Without having the opportunity for their relationships to be recognized their families, including some of them having children, their families are hurting," he continued.

RELATED: Summary judgments were also requested in the two Florida marriage cases that have been heard this month.