Obama: Court must end California gay marriage ban

A California ban on gay marriages should be overturned by the US Supreme Court, the Obama administration says.

In a legal brief filed ahead of arguments scheduled for late March, the justice department says the ban - known as Proposition 8 - is unconstitutional.

Outlawing same-sex marriage while offering marriage-like rights under law contravenes the right to equal protection under law, the brief says.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on two same-sex marriage issues.

As well as Proposition 8, the nine justices will consider the Defense of Marriage Act, a Clinton-era piece of US federal legislation that defines marriage as solely being between a man and a woman.

The Obama administration has already stopped enforcing the law, and is not defending the legislation in front of the court.

Mr Obama himself offered his personal support for gay marriage in a TV interview in 2012, reversing a previously held position.

But he had not yet translated a personal viewpoint into a legal or legislative agenda.

He signed off on the brief, written for the administration by Solicitor General Donald Verrili - the man who argued the case for the Mr Obama's healthcare reform act before the Supreme Court in 2012.