The attorney general’s office today finally lodged the record from the lower court of Judge Chris Piazza’s ruling that the state ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The Arkansas Supreme Court had already issued a stay of the ruling.
The appellant’s brief is due Sept. 8. The general rule is that the appellee has 30 days after that to file a brief. Fifteen more days are allowed for a cross-appellants reply brief. Extensions in the schedule could be requested and granted. Oral arguments can be requested. At this point, November appears roughly the time for a decision. But that could change.
In other marriage inequality news: The state has opposed as expected, the motion for summary judgement in the federal lawsuit challenging the state ban on same-sex marriage. The motion agrees that the case is one of “purely legal analysis,” but denied that plaintiffs were entitled to prevail.