Obama: "Court must end California gay marriage ban."

A California ban on gay marriages should be overturned by the US Supreme Court, the Obama administration says.

In a legal brief filed ahead of arguments scheduled for late March, the justice department says the ban - known as Proposition 8 - is unconstitutional.

Outlawing same-sex marriage while offering marriage-like rights under law contravenes the right to equal protection under law, the brief says.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on two same-sex marriage issues.

As well as Proposition 8, the nine justices will consider the Defense of Marriage Act, a Clinton-era piece of US federal legislation that defines marriage as solely being between a man and a woman.

Mr Obama himself offered his personal support for gay marriage in a TV interview in 2012, reversing a previously held position.

But he had not yet translated a personal viewpoint into a legal or legislative agenda.

He signed off on the brief, written for the administration by Solicitor General Donald Verrili - the man who argued the case for the Mr Obama's healthcare reform act before the Supreme Court in 2012.