Group sues over Ind.'s law on marriage presiders

INDIANAPOLIS — A secular humanist group claims in a federal lawsuit that Indiana's marriage law is unconstitutional because it doesn't allow people who aren't ministers or government officials to preside at marriages.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday on behalf of the Center for Inquiry argues the state law violates the First Amendment by limiting the marriage authority based on religion.

American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana attorney Ken Falk tells The Indianapolis Star that previous court rulings say the state can't prefer religious groups over those that aren't religious.

The Center for Inquiry has an Indianapolis branch and says it promotes science over religion but encourages values similar to what many religions teach.

The Indiana attorney general's office says it will defend the Legislature's right to determine who may perform marriages.