California's attorney general predicted today that the courts would bar same-sex marriages in San Francisco within weeks and invalidate the thousands of gay marriages the city has sanctioned over the past two weeks.
"I think it will be weeks and my best prediction is that the marriages will be invalidated, the courts will direct people that wish to change the law to the legislative process," Mr Bill Lockyer, the Democratic attorney general, told reporters in a telephone interview.
Over the past 10 days, San Francisco has issued marriage licenses to 3,175 homosexual couples, prompting euphoria in the gay community and criticism from backers of traditional male-female nuptials.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has criticized the marriages and asked Mr Lockyer to resolve the issue immediately.
"I believe strongly in the law that we have right now in California which respects domestic partnership rights and I think that that's a very good law," the former action film star said in Washington. "I believe in equal rights absolutely and in protecting that."
Mr Lockyer was expected to present legal arguments against the same-sex marriages within a day or two. San Francisco has sued California, saying the state's marriage laws violate the state constitution's provisions on equality.
"My duty is very clear. It is to defend the state law," said Mr Lockyer, a possible rival to Republican Schwarzenegger in the 2006 gubernatorial election. "We're going to respond to their lawsuit which they filed late last week."