California urged to allow gay marriage

SAN FRANCISCO- California's attorney general urged a US appeals court on Tuesday to permit gay marriages while it considers whether to overturn the state's ban on same-sex weddings.

The move follows a decision last week by US President Barack Obama's administration that it would no longer defend the 15-year-old US law defining marriage as only between a man and a woman, a major policy shift in favor of gay rights.

Attorney General Kamala Harris, in arguments filed with the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, asked the court to dismiss its order prohibiting gay marriages in the most populous US state while a lawsuit over California's ban unfolds.