Three religious groups will not be allowed to defend the state's ban on gay marriages. Lambda Legal Marriage Project Director Camilla Taylor says a Cook County judge made the right decision Friday when she decided to keep the churches from joining the case.

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Taylor says the groups don't have a stake in the case because it only involves civil marriage, and whether the government can decide who can and can't get married.

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Twenty-five gay and lesbian couples filed suit back in June, claiming the gay marriage ban discriminates against them and violates their freedom to marry. The state's attorney general and the Cook County state's attorney sided with the same sex couples, calling the ban unconstitutional and refused to defend the case. Two downstate attorneys will defend the case, instead. The Illinois Family Institute was one of the groups looking to defend the ban. The group considers marriage an institution ordained by God, not a civil right.