[JURIST] Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue [official biography] said Wednesday that the state will appeal [press release] a judge's ruling [order, PDF; JURIST report] that a voter-approved amendment banning same-sex marriage [text] is unconstitutional. Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker [official website] said he would seek an expedited review. Baker noted that even though the constitutional amendment was struck down, a statute [text] banning same-sex marriage [JURIST news archive] is not affected by the court's Tuesday ruling.

Furthermore, if the Georgia Supreme Court [official website] does not rule on the ban by August 7 or doesn't overturn the decision, Perdue plans to call a special session of the General Assembly [official website] to write a new constitutional amendment that can be placed on the ballot in November. AP has more. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has local coverage.