Supreme Court temporarily bans gay, lesbian marriage in Utah
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily barred gay and lesbian couples from marrying in Utah, less than three weeks after a federal judge struck down Utah's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
In an unsigned order, the Supreme Court granted Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes' request for an emergency stay of U.S. District Court Judge Robert Shelby's Dec. 20 decision permitting same-sex couples to legally marry. The ruling overturned a 2004 amendment to the state's constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
The state intends to challenge Judge Shelby's ruling before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later this year.
Mr. Reyes sought an emergency stay from the Supreme Court after the federal judge and the 10th Circuit denied his request that the judge's ruling be put on hold pending the outcome of the state's appeal.
In his Dec. 20 decision, Judge Shelby ruled that Utah's constitutional ban of same-sex marriage denied gay and lesbian couples in that state rights of equal protection and due process that are guaranteed to them by the U.S. Constitution.
