The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday put a
hold on a lower court's order declaring Utah's gay marriage ban
invalid.
More than 1,000 gay and lesbian couples
have married since U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby on December
20 struck down Amendment 3, the state's 2004 voter-approved
constitutional amendment which limits marriage to heterosexual
couples.
Shelby and the 10th Circuit
Court of Appeals in Denver denied the state's previous requests for a
stay as an appeal moves forward.
In filing its 25-page application for a
stay, Utah officials argued that they were attempting to avert
“irreparable harm” to gay couples and their families and that
each marriage was an “affront” to the state's right to define
marriage.
Plaintiffs in the case, three gay
couples, called on the court to allow the weddings to continue.
A ruling from the appeals court, which
placed the case on a fast track, is expected by the summer, which
means that the issue could reach the Supreme Court for the session
starting at the end of this year.