Lawsuit filed Friday challenges North Dakota same-sex marriage ban

A lawsuit challenging North Dakota’s same-sex marriage ban -- the last in the country to be challenged in court -- was filed Friday morning, a deputy clerk confirmed.

The complaint challenging the constitutional ban on gay marriage and the state’s refusal to recognize marriages of same-sex couples who legally wed in other states, was being processed in the Fargo division, where it was filed.

With this latest filing, 31 states with same-sex marriage bans have cases pending.

The seven couples that filed the complaint are being represented by Minneapolis-based attorney Josh Newville, who also filed a lawsuit on behalf of South Dakota couples in May.

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