SAN FRANCISCO—California’s high court has set a March date to hear arguments over the legality of gay marriage in the state.

The California Supreme Court is to hear three hours of arguments on the issue March 4 in San Francisco. Justices then have 90 days to rule.

The six consolidated cases being heard together challenge state laws limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples. The Supreme Court has banned same-sex marriages in the state until it decides the issue.

The plaintiffs are the city of San Francisco, the state’s leading gay advocacy group and several same-sex couples who have not been allowed to marry. They are being opposed by the attorney general, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and activists who argue only voters can overturn the existing marriage statues.

So far, no state court has joined Massachusetts in recognizing marriage as a civil right. Along with California, Connecticut and Iowa also have cases pending on whether allowing gays to enter into civil unions and domestic partnerships provides a legal equivalent to getting married.