Epress.am News from Armenia
A federal appeals court has put same-sex weddings in California on hold while it considers whether the state’s gay marriage ban is constitutional, reports BBC News.
A three-judge panel in the US Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a lower court’s ruling that would have allowed gay marriages to begin on Wednesday.
The gay marriage ban, known as Proposition 8, was passed by voters in 2008 and overturned earlier this month.
The three judges gave the two sides in the case several months to file briefs on the ruling made by Judge Vaughn Walker, who overturned the ban on same-sex marriage.
The next round of arguments is now set for 6 December, which would probably push a decision on same-sex marriages into next year.
Supporters of Proposition 8 had appealed against Judge Walker’s decision last week to allow gay weddings to begin on
Wednesday. Many observers now believe the case may ultimately land at the feet of the Supreme Court.
The legal staff of the two same-sex couples who challenged the ban had argued that keeping the measure in place infringed upon the civil rights of gays and lesbians.