Utah officials on Wednesday turned to
the Supreme Court in their fight not to recognize the marriages of
more than 1,300 gay and lesbian couples who exchanged vows during the
17-day window when such unions were legal in the state.
Last week, a three-judge panel of the
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver denied the state's request
for a permanent hold on recognizing the marriages as it appeals a
December 20 ruling striking down the state's ban on gay marriage to
the Supreme Court.
A temporary stay put in place by the
Tenth Circuit expires Monday.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who oversees
the Tenth Circuit, will review the state's 81-page
application for a stay. In January, Sotomayor stayed the first
ruling striking down Utah's marriage ban.
The case has reverberated in Colorado,
where three county clerks have cited the appeals court's ruling in
issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
(Related: Hundreds
of gay couples receive marriage licenses in three Colorado counties.)