Opponents of gay marriage in DC lose battle against city elections board as judge rejects suit

DC court rejects bid for a gay marriage referendum

WASHINGTON — A judge in Washington, D.C., has thrown out a lawsuit by opponents of gay marriage against the city’s elections board.

Plaintiffs led by a Maryland pastor, Bishop Harry Jackson, sued after the Board of Elections and Ethics refused to put their initiative on the ballot. The measure would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The board ruled it violated the city’s Human Rights Act.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith N. Macaluso ruled Thursday in favor of the city. She said the board’s action was justified because the initiative would in effect authorize discrimination.

The District of Columbia passed a bill in December that would let same-sex couples marry. Because the city is a federal district, the law is pending a period of review by Congress.