Supreme Court Denies NOM's Request To Stay Oregon Gay Marriage Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the National Organization for Marriage's (NOM) request to put a hold on a federal court's order striking down Oregon's ban on gay marriage.

On Monday, May 19, U.S. District Judge Michael McShane declared Oregon's 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual couples invalid.

The state, which sided with plaintiffs in the case, immediately implemented McShane's order, making Oregon the 18^th state to allow gay couples to marry.

McShane denied NOM's last minute request to intervene in the case, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco denied NOM's request to stay proceedings in the case or stay the ruling.

Last week, NOM asked Justice Anthony Kennedy to stay McShane's ruling so it may pursue a motion before the appellate court to intervene in the case.

“The application for stay presented to Justice Kennedy and by him referred to the Court is denied,” the court wrote without elaborating.

Oregon United for Marriage praised the ruling: “Today's ruling means that nothing changes: love is still the law in Oregon – and married same-sex couples are afforded the respect and protections only marriage can provide.”

In its request, NOM argued that without the ban many of its members in Oregon “will suffer particular harm,” including “a county clerk and several members of the wedding industry who will suffer material harm if the ruling is implemented.”