Governor Doyle has appointed an outside attorney to defend the state against a challenge to the domestic partner registry.
The Governor has appointed Madison attorney Lester Pines to represent the state, if a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the registry is accepted by the state Supreme Court.
The move comes after Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced last week he would not defend the law, which was included in the state budget Doyle signed at the end of June. Wisconsin Family Action has petitioned the high court to strike down the registry, claiming it violated the state’s 2006 Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage or any similar legal status for same sex couples.
Pines is already involved in a lawsuit before the Supreme Court that challenges the gay marriage ban. He’s defending a UW-Oskosh political science professor who says the amendment was improperly presented to voters.
