MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s efforts to defend its ban on same-sex marriages will cost taxpayers more than $1 million.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that an agreement announced Friday calls for the state to pay the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented eight gay and lesbian couples who sued to overturn Wisconsin’s 2006 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Article continues below

Since the couples won their lawsuit, the ACLU can recover legal costs.

The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to hear the appeal after the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals had already struck down Wisconsin’s ban.

© 2015, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.