Richard Wolf of USA Today reports:

The legal battle for same-sex marriage was fought Tuesday in the South, scene of past civil rights skirmishes over school segregation, gender discrimination and interracial marriage.

For two hours inside a wood-paneled courtroom, five lawyers representing three sides of the argument — including a Virginia solicitor general whose boss last month switched sides — opened the latest chapter in a nationwide debate of historic proportions.

While about two dozen demonstrators on each side of the issue protested on opposite sidewalks outside, federal District Court Judge Arenda Wright Allen listened patiently before promising, “You’ll be hearing from me soon.”

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