No New Gay Marriages as California Courts Mull Prop. 8

Posted on Mar 23, 2011

Flickr / laverrue

Same-sex couples hoping to tie the knot soon in California are going to have to wait awhile longer: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Wednesday rejected a request to allow gay marriages to continue as the long-term fate of Proposition 8 remains to be seen.  —KA

SFGate:

The couples and the city, plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Prop. 8, cited the appeals court’s decision to put the case on hold while the California Supreme Court decides whether sponsors of the initiative have standing under state law to appeal the judge’s ruling.

The state court is scheduled to hear arguments on that issue in September. It may take another three months to rule before returning the case to the federal court.

In a one-sentence order today, the three judges on the federal court panel said they had reviewed the arguments and the applicable legal standards, and “we deny plaintiffs’ motion at this time.” The judges were Stephen Reinhardt, Michael Hawkins and N. Randy Smith.

The American Foundation for Equal Rights, which represents the plaintiffs, expressed disappointment.

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