Incoming Utah Attorney General Sean
Reyes on Thursday vowed to fight a ruling invalidating the state's
gay marriage ban all the way to the Supreme Court.
Republican Governor Gary Herbert
appointed Reyes, also a Republican, to the post on Monday, December
23 following the resignation of John Swallow. Reyes campaigned
against Swallow for the post in 2012.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Robert
J. Shelby handed down a ruling declaring Amendment 3, the state's
2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment which limits marriage to
heterosexual unions, in violation of the 14th Amendment of
the U.S. Constitution. A request for a stay on the ruling was
rejected by Shelby. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in
Denver rejected three requests, two on technical grounds. The state
has said it will file a request for an emergency stay with the U.S.
Supreme Court, possibly as early as Friday.
“I think the voice of the people was
clear,” Reyes told Fox
13 News. “It's my job not to speculate about political or
social issues, but legal issues. My job and our job as a team will
be to continue to defend, legally, the state laws. Beyond that, I
think the citizens, regardless of the side of the issue you might
fall on, deserve to have the process taken and have final word from
the Supreme Court on this issue.”
(Related: All
Utah counties now issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.)