AG: Indiana staying active in gay marriage debate

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller says the state will remain active in the gay marriage debate now that it's reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court decided Friday to hear cases on California's constitutional ban on gay marriage and a federal law that denies tax, health and pension benefits to legally married gays Americans.

Zoeller says Indiana and 14 other states had filed a brief urging the court to hear the case in which a federal appeals court struck down the California ban. He says it's likely Indiana will join another multi-state brief on the merits of the case.

Zoeller says Indiana "stands firm in its vigorous defense of each state's legal authority to recognize the traditional definition of marriage as a significant state interest."