(July 14, 2006)--A federal appeals court is acting to reinstate Nebraska's voter-approved ban on gay marriage.
The Eighth Circuit appeals court says Nebraska's constitutional amendment is a matter of state rights and not a violation of the US Constitution.
A lower federal court judge had struck down the same-sex marriage ban, saying it was too broad and, among other things, deprived gays and lesbians of participation in the political process.
More than two-thirds of Nebraska voters approved the ban in 2000.
Meanwhile voters in Tennessee will be able to decide in November on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
The state Supreme Court cleared the way for that vote Friday, ruling in a lawsuit by the ACLU.
The suit charged that the state hadn't met the requirements in the state constitution to put the issue on the ballot.
In a unanimous ruling, the state high court found that the ACLU didn't have the standing to file the suit.
The decision upholds an earlier one by a county judge.
The amendment would define marriage as between one man and one woman.
The state already has a statute banning gay marriages.
But lawmakers who support the amendment say they want to make sure judges can't find that law to be unconstitutional.
