Hearings on Oklahoma’s gay marriage ban lawsuit are set for mid-April in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, but several groups are weighing in now.
More than a dozen friend of the court briefs were filed Tuesday before a midnight deadline, most of them supporting same-sex marriage. Filers included Republicans who were former opponents and a coalition of businesses including Google and Starbucks.
University of Tulsa constitutional law professor Gary Allison said last-minute filings like these are common.
"Lawyers are persistent procrastinators, partially because they want to make sure that they have taken up the time necessary to do the best possible job," Allison said.
In all, 27 briefs have been filed supporting the decisions to strike down marriage bans in Oklahoma and Utah. Allison said the briefs’ influence on the case won’t be clear for awhile.
"The way you see if an amicus brief has an effect is when you look at the final decision to see if any of the justices have cited it," Allison said. "Often, what they do is reinforce the opinions and the arguments in the briefs by the parties themselves."
The Denver-based court is scheduled to hear the Oklahoma and Utah gay marriage cases in mid-April.
