The D.C. Court of Appeals is to hear arguments today over a ballot initiative that would allow a voter referendum on same-sex marriage, the AP reports:
"In January, a D.C. Superior Court judge threw out a lawsuit by a Maryland pastor who wanted to put a measure on the D.C. ballot to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Bishop Harry Jackson sued after the Board of Elections and Ethics refused to approve the ballot initiative, saying it would violate the city's Human Rights Act. The judge said the city was right.
Tuesday's appeals court hearing will be before the full court. It's rare for all of the judges to hear a case before it has been heard by a three-judge appeals panel, particularly when the lawyers in the case didn't request the en banc hearing."
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is holding a rally outside the court this morning with Jackson and officials from Stand4Marriage DC, the group that has been working to destroy equality in the nation's capital.
