TOPEKA, Kan. –– Attorneys for Kansas officials say in a federal court filing that the state is allowing married same-sex couples to file joint income tax returns.

The disclosure of the policy change was made in a filing Thursday asking U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree to dismiss a lawsuit filed last year by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of gay and lesbian couples.

The ACLU challenged the state’s ban on same-sex marriage and the Department of Revenue’s refusal to allow same-sex couples to file joint tax returns.

The U.S. Supreme Court last month declared gay marriage legal across the nation.

The state’s lawyers submitted an affidavit from Department of Revenue policy director Richard Cram. He said the agency’s policy against joint tax returns for same-sex couples is no longer valid.

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