SAN DIEGO -- A waiting game begins for a local gay couple who were denied a birth certificate for their son, 10News reported.

Oren Adar and his partner, Mickey Smith, adopted a boy in New York four years ago.

"It was probably the happiest day of our lives," said Adar.

The couple applied for an amended birth certificate with Adar and his partner's name on it from Louisiana, where the child was born.

The state of Louisiana said the pair's request violated state laws that ban adoptions by unmarried couples.

Adar, who is adopted himself, said a birth certificate is essential.

"It gives you a sense of identity to know you belong to a family. By not getting a birth certificate, it's almost like you're relegated to a second-class citizen and not being afforded the same rights as the kids down the street," Adar told 10News.

Earlier this year, a federal court agreed with the couple's lawyers, who argued the Constitution's Full, Faith and Credit clause required Louisiana to acknowledge an adoption allowed by another state.

On Wednesday, the couple's battle with the state of Louisiana resumed with oral arguments in an appellate court.

A decision is expected in the next few months.

Experts said the ruling could impact whether states have to acknowledge not only adoptions but also same-sex marriages performed in other states.