Judge Puts W.Va. Gay Marriage Suit on Hold

A federal judge has put a lawsuit challenging West Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage on hold until a federal appeals court decides a similar Virginia case.

U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers entered an order Tuesday that stayed the case filed in West Virginia by three couples last October until the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decides a case from Virginia.

Gay rights group Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit contending West Virginia's Defense of Marriage Act unfairly discriminates against same-sex couples and their children.

The Charleston Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/SvSvAM) that Chambers wrote that "because of the overlap in the issues present" in both cases, the case in West Virginia should await the outcome.

A three judge panel heard arguments in the Virginia case on May 13 in Richmond