The attorney general of Arkansas today said he supports allowing same-sex couples to wed, but will continue defending his state's 2004 ban on gay marriage in court because he believes it is his duty to do so.
Arkansas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, but that ban and others across the US are facing legal challenges. Attorneys general in several states have grappled with how to respond.
Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel became the first statewide official in his southern state to back same-sex marriage.
"I want to tell you I do support marriage equality and I do believe Arkansans should have the right to be equal in the eyes of the law," McDaniel said, speaking at the Associated Press Managing Editors convention.
The top attorneys in at least five states have declined to defend same-sex marriage bans against lawsuits filed by gay couples. Opponents of gay marriage have accused those attorneys general of shirking their responsibilities to uphold the laws of their states.
McDaniel said he didn't believe attorneys general should allow their personal views to influence whether they defend a state law.
"I'm going to zealously defend our constitution, but at the same time I think it's important to let people where I stand on the matter," McDaniel told the AP after his speech.
Seventeen states allow gay marriage, and federal judges have struck down bans in Michigan, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma and Virginia. An Arkansas judge is expected to rule by yesterday in a lawsuit challenging Arkansas' ban.
McDaniel announced his support for gay marriage after criticizing US Attorney General Eric Holder for telling his state counterparts in February they weren't obligated to defend laws in their states banning same-sex marriage if the laws discriminate in a way forbidden by the Constitution.
McDaniel, a Democrat, had voiced support for civil unions when he ran for the elected position of attorney general in 2006, but said then he believed marriage was between a man and a woman. He said during a question and answer session with editors that there wasn't any single incident that changed his mind about gay marriage.
