News

BOISE, Idaho — Republicans pledged to defend Idaho’s ban on same-sex marriage from a legal challenge, while Democrats favor letting similar cases elsewhere proceed rather than dedicating taxpayer resources to what they believe will be a losing battle.

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man is on a hunger strike, vowing to go without any food until the state stops allowing same-sex couples to marry.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings have retained a former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and a former federal trial attorney to conduct an investigation into Chris Kluwe’s allegations that he was released from the team due to his support of gay marriage.

SALT LAKE CITY — Legal arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court about Utah’s overturned same-sex marriage ban have focused heavily on whether gay and lesbians can be suitable parents, provoking a debate on family values in the Mormon state.

SALT LAKE CITY — Lawyers for three same-sex couples in Utah have filed court papers with the U.S. Supreme Court explaining why gay marriage should be allowed to continue.

AUGUSTA, Maine — A governor’s race endorsement for U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud by the group that successfully pushed for same-sex marriage in Maine drew a swift rebuke Thursday from independent Eliot Cutler, who pointed out inconsistencies in the congressman’s record when it comes to supporting gay rights during his time in the state Legislature.

SAN FRANCISCO — A judge in Sacramento ordered the secretary of state’s office on Thursday to add about 5,000 signatures to the 614,326 submitted by supporters of a proposed voter referendum that seeks to overturn a new California law guaranteeing certain rights to transgender students in public schools.

HOUSTON — The same-sex spouses of Houston city employees will keep their benefits for now, after a federal judge on Thursday denied a request for a restraining order that would have halted them.

SEATTLE — Police and fire investigators said Thursday that a New Year Eve’s fire at a popular Seattle gay nightclub was most likely arson.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is pondering whether to grant a stay of a federal district court’s order that the state of Utah stop enforcing its ban on marriage for same-sex couples.