Obama considers weighing in on gay marriage case

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is quietly considering urging the Supreme Court to overturn California's ban on gay marriage, a step that would mark a political victory for advocates of same-sex unions.

President Barack Obama raised expectations among opponents of the Proposition 8 ban when he declared last month in his inaugural address that gays and lesbians must be "treated like anyone else under the law." The administration has until Feb. 28 to intervene by filing a "friend of the court" brief.

California voters approved the ballot initiative in 2008. It overturned a state Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage.

Twenty-nine other states have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, while nine states and Washington, D.C., recognize same-sex marriages.