Brief Filed in Okla. Gay Marriage Ban Lawsuit

Lawyers for two same-sex couples suing for the right to marry in Oklahoma and to have a marriage from another jurisdiction recognized in the state have filed a brief pointing to a recent ruling in Utah that found a same-sex marriage ban violated the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians.

Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin filed the lawsuit along with another couple back in November 2004. That was shortly after Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

On Sunday, lawyers for the couples filed a brief outlining the similarities between their case and a case in Utah in which a federal judge ruled a same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional.

A lawyer representing the Tulsa County Court Clerk did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.