NC Attorney General Won't Defend Gay Marriage Ban

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina's attorney general says his office will no longer defend the state's voter-approved ban on same sex marriage in court after a federal appeals court ruled a similar prohibition in neighboring Virginia unconstitutional.

Attorney General Roy Cooper said Monday that the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling made it highly likely North Carolina's ban will be overturned. North Carolina is part of the 4th Circuit. Cooper said any federal judge in North Carolina would be bound by the ruling.

Cooper, a Democrat, said further opposition to the four federal lawsuits challenging his state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage would be "futile."

Cooper had previously said he personally opposes the marriage ban, but his duty as attorney general was to defend the state law approved by voters in 2012.

This story is part of our special report: "Gay Marriage". Want to read more? Here's the full list.