By Aurelio Rojas | Sacramento Bee

The California Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to consider whether Proposition 8 improperly revised the state constitution, but it refused requests to allow same-sex marriages to resume pending a ruling.

By voting 6-1 to review three lawsuits challenging the marriage ban that voters approved Nov. 4, the state's highest court once again finds itself in the middle of a controversy that began when it sanctioned gay marriages in May.

At the same time, the court signaled it intends to decide the fate of more than 18,000 same-sex weddings that were performed in the past five months.

After its weekly closed session, where the court decides which cases to consider, the justices asked parties in the gay marriage cases to submit written arguments by Jan. 21.

The court could hear oral arguments as early as March and would be required to issue a ruling within 90 days, meaning a decision could come before June.

Both sides in the battle expressed relief the court headed off a protracted legal battle in the lower state courts that could have taken years to resolve.

Read the full story at sacbee.com.