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The state’s next attorney general says Nebraska can successfully defend its voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

“I think there’s plenty of precedent out there to defend the case,” said Doug Peterson, who was elected earlier this month to succeed outgoing Attorney General Jon Bruning. “I believe Nebraskans did the right thing in declaring the law.”

The ACLU of Nebraska has indicated it will challenge the ban, which is written into the state’s constitution, on behalf of a group of same-sex couples. Details of the case, which is expected to be filed next week in federal court, haven’t been released.

The ban has been in place since 2000, when Nebraska voters overwhelmingly decided that marriage is between a man and a woman, Gov. Dave Heineman said Wednesday.

"That's what Nebraskans believe, and I know the current attorney general, and I'm confident the attorney general-elect, are going to fight very vigorously that we, the people of Nebraska, decided what we wanted to do," Heineman said.

While Peterson won’t be sworn in until January, he is likely to be at the helm of the attorney general’s office before the issue is resolved.