Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis,
chairman of the Utah Democratic Party, on Friday called on Governor
Gary Herbert and Attorney General Sean Reyes, both Republicans, to
quit fighting a federal court's order declaring that the state must
recognize the marriages of some 1,300 gay and lesbian couples.
The couples exchanged vows during the
17-day window when such unions were legal in the state.
On Friday, the Tenth Circuit Court of
Appeals in Denver denied the state's request for a permanent hold on
recognizing the marriages as it appeals the broader ruling which led
to the marriages.
(Related: Appeals
Court orders Utah to recognize marriages of 1,300 gay couples.)
The Utah Attorney General's Office said
in a statement Friday it plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme
Court.
“I have only one question of the
Governor and the Attorney General,” Dabakis said in an emailed
statement. “How much more money are they going to spend on
lawsuits? They have already committed around $10 million to the
Supreme Court case of Kitchen v. Herbert. And now, will they
open the taxpayers' checkbook again? For another, separate appeal in
another case? Clearly, that would be fiscally irresponsible and
morally reprehensible.”