The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) has said that despite a major setback at the U.S. Supreme Court
it would continue to fight a federal judge's order making Oregon the
18th state to allow gay couples to marry.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court
declined NOM's request to put on hold a district court's order
striking down Oregon's restrictive marriage ban.
(Related: Supreme
Court denies NOM's request to stay Oregon gay marriage ruling.)
NOM Chairman John Eastman said in a
blog post that his group was “disappointed that the US Supreme
Court has declined to issue a stay of a federal judge's order
redefining marriage in Oregon.”
Eastman added that NOM would continue
to pursue an appeal to intervene in the case.
“That appeal is on track, with briefs
due in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal in August and September, and
oral argument sometime afterwards,” Eastman
said. “We will continue to press this case because we believe
that the people of Oregon are entitled to a vigorous defense of
marriage, and because it is in the public interest to preserve
marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”
The setback comes a week after the
Maine state ethics board found NOM guilty
of violating the state's donor disclosure law and roughly two
weeks before NOM holds a major rally outside the Supreme Court in
opposition to marriage equality.
(Related: Mike
Huckabee to join gay marriage foe NOM at March for Marriage.)