DENVER (AP) -- Colorado has joined four other states in defending a federal law that defines marriage as being a union only between one man and one woman when it comes to getting federal benefits.
The Denver Post reports that Attorney General John Suthers last week signed onto a brief defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The law is being challenged in Massachusetts.
The law also allows states to not recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. A spokesman for Suthers said he joined the case because if that provision is struck down, it would nullify the constitutional ban on gay marriage Colorado voters passed in 2006.
Gay rights groups are criticizing Suthers' decision and say there are other issues, including economic ones, he should be focusing on instead.
------
Information from: The Denver Post
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKXRM