Court to hear 2 days of gay marriage arguments

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court says it will hear two days of arguments over laws affecting gay marriage. Justices recently announced they will hear arguments in Hollingsworth v. Perry on March 26 and United States v. Windsor on March 27. The first case involves California's constitutional amendment that forbids same-sex marriage. The second concerns a federal law that denies gay couples who legally marry the right to obtain federal benefits available to heterosexual married couples. Nine states -- Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington-- and the District of Columbia allow gay marriage. Published: Thu, Jan 17, 2013