Today the United States Supreme Court issued a stay temporarily suspending the issuance of marriage licenses to lesbian and gay couples in Utah.
Hundreds of couples have been married since U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby ruled Dec. 20 that the state’s ban on such unions violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process. At the time, the state referring to that decision, said that it, “is an affront not only to the interests of the state and its citizens in being able to define marriage through ordinary democratic channels, but also to the Supreme Court’s “unique role as final arbiter of the profoundly important constitutional question.” The state of Utah had asked the Supreme Court to intervene and wanted marriages stopped while it asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver to review Shelby’s ruling.
According to a report in the Washington Post, Utah’s request was made to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who is designated to handle emergency requests that originate in the 10th Circuit. She referred the matter to the entire court, which issued the stay without discussion or recorded dissent.
“Utahns and other Americans have witnessed the joy that marriage has brought to hundreds of loving and committed couples over the past weeks,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “While it is disappointing that the dreams of many more will be put on hold, we know that in the end justice will be served and no couple will be excluded from this cherished institution. We still live in two Americas where full equality is within reach in one and another where even basic protections are non-existent. As the marriage equality map expands, history is on our side and we will not rest until where you live is not a barrier to living your dreams.”
