The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is allowing Utah to file an opening argument of up to 24,000 words to defend the state’s gay marriage ban.

The Denver-based court on Thursday granted Utah’s request to file a brief longer than the limit of 10,000 words.

Outside counsel working for the Utah attorney general’s office says they need a word count that allows them to cite and discuss large amounts of constitutional ideas and social science studies.

The Deseret News reports that attorney Gene Schaerr says the state needs room to fully explain why Utah has the right to and chooses to ban gay marriage. More than 1,000 gay couples wed in Utah after a federal judge overturned the ban in December. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for April 10.