The Obama administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage, invoking legal arguments that lay the groundwork for expanding gay marriage even in states that don’t recognize it.
But the administration fell short of declaring its support for a constitutional right to gay marriage that would immediately apply in all 50 states, as some advocates had urged it to do. It said the Supreme Court could resolve the case “by focusing on the particular circumstances presented by California law and the recognition it gives to same-sex relationships.”
