Utah officials on Tuesday vowed to
appeal a ruling declaring the state's gay marriage ban invalid to the
U.S. Supreme Court.
The pledge comes after the 10th
Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled against issuing a stay on
the ruling as an appeal moves forward.
Attorneys for the state confirmed to
Fox
13 News that they would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who oversees the 10th Circuit
Court, is expected to receive the request for an emergency stay on
Thursday morning.
“We plan to appeal to the Supreme
Court as soon as possible,” said attorney general's spokesman Ryan
Bruckman.
Without the Supreme Court's
intervention, Utah, home of the Mormon Church, a staunch opponent of
marriage equality, will join the 17 states plus the District of
Columbia that allow gay couples to marry, at least until the appeals
court rules – a process expected to stretch into 2015.
As of Tuesday, 4 counties – Box
Elder, Piute, San Juan and Utah – continued to defy the court's
order.
According to Salt Lake City's KSL, Utah
County Clerk Auditor Bryan E. Thompson was served with a lawsuit for
refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.