WISCONSIN: Attorney General Appeals Marriage Ruling To Seventh Circuit Court

As he vowed to do last month, GOP Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen today filed an appeal with the Seventh Circuit Court, asking that the June 6th overturn of his state's same-sex marriage ban be voided.

The 7th Circuit last month ordered an expedited schedule in Indiana's case, requiring parties to file all of their briefs on motions no later than Aug. 5, with oral arguments to be scheduled a short time later. Van Hollen had until July 21 to file an appeal, but he said in a statement that the appeals court's decision to speed up the Indiana case led him to do it sooner. "The goal of our timing is simple: to ensure that Wisconsin is placed on equal footing with Indiana, and that our constitution and laws are given timely consideration by the appellate judges," Van Hollen said in an email. Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who is seeking re-election this year and considering a run for president in 2016, was an early vocal supporter of the gay marriage ban and voted for it in 2006. But amid polls showing most Wisconsin voters support gay marriage, Walker has said his position doesn't matter because the governor plays no role in changing the constitution. Walker is a named defendant in the lawsuit and has been supportive of Van Hollen appealing the ruling.

The judge who overturned the ban stayed her own ruling one week later, but not before many couples had married.