Gay couples ask Virginia Supreme Court to hear case
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. - Three same-sex couples who were denied new birth certificates for their four adoptive children have asked the Virginia Supreme Court to review their case.

The request comes in the wake of a decision from a Richmond judge upholding the right of the Virginia Department of Vital Records to refuse to issue the birth certificates, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.

In January, Richmond Circuit Judge Randall G. Johnson ruled that the state is not required to issue new birth certificates for children born in Virginia, but adopted by gay couples in other states.

Johnson said then that requiring the state to issue new birth certificates with the names of the children's adoptive parents instead of their birth parents conflicts with Virginia's policy prohibiting joint adoption by unmarried couples.