The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) on Monday filed for, and was denied, an emergency stay of a federal judge's pending ruling on Oregon's ban on gay marriage.

U.S. District Judge Michael McShane announced Friday he intends to file his ruling in a challenge to the state's ban on Monday at noon.

All parties present during an April 23 hearing, including the state, called on McShane to strike down Oregon's 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual couples.

McShane rejected NOM's request to intervene in the case.

NOM asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to stay proceedings in the case or stay the ruling.

“Appellant's emergency motion to stay district court proceedings pending appeal is denied,” the appeals court said.

NOM argued in its brief that its members will likely suffer irreparable harm in the absence of a stay.

“NOM alleged that its members who provide wedding services would be forced by Oregon's public accommodation law to facilitate marriage ceremonies in violation of their sincerely held religious beliefs or cease providing wedding services as part of their businesses,” the brief states. “Either alternative is an irreparable harm.”

In a blog post, NOM President Brian Brown said the case was “an ugly example of inappropriate cooperation between the Attorney General and the gay marriage lobby, both of whom want to redefine marriage in contravention of the overwhelming decision of the people to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

“The people of Oregon are entitled to a defense of their decision on marriage rather than being abandoned in Court,” Brown added.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum asked the appeals court not to issue a temporary stay, saying the state was prepared “to follow the court's directives and counties stand ready to begin issuing marriage certificates to same-sex couples otherwise qualified to marry should the district court strike down Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage.”

(Documents provided by Equality Case Files.)