Six House Democrats behind the effort to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) have asked House Speaker John Boehner for a briefing on efforts to defend the law in court.

A Boehner-appointed committee last month instructed House counsel to defend the law that bans federal recognition of the marriages of gay and lesbian couples after President Barack Obama announced his administration would no longer do so.

The lead sponsors of New York Representative Jerrold Nadler's Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal DOMA, asked Boehner for answers in a letter released Monday.