The Obama administration entered the legal battle over a state gay-marriage law late Thursday, prompting broad praise from gay-rights groups and dismay from supporters of traditional marriage.
A decision about whether the U.S. Supreme Court will take up a gay-marriage case could come as early as Monday.
Supporters of traditional marriage announced Tuesday they will petition to bring California's Proposition 8 before the Supreme Court after a lower federal court refused to hear an appeal in the case.
