Challenge Filed To DC Marriage Ruling

Represented by the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund, Bishop Harry Jackson and his six cohorts have filed a court challenge of Tuesday's decision by the DC Elections Board that a referendum could not be mounted to challenge the city's decision to recognize marriages from other jurisdictions.

"We are not going to sit by and allow an unelected board of bureaucrats to deny voters their rightful say on this issue and, by their action, allow the institution of marriage and the entire structure of our society to be radically redefined," said Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville and one of seven District residents who are plaintiffs in the suit. "We will continue to fight for the people of the District of Columbia who want their voice to be heard in this important issue."

The group has asked the court to rule quickly as DC's law goes into effect on July 6th, unless Congress intervenes.