A Virginia county clerk on Friday asked
a federal appeals court to stay its ruling striking down the state's
ban on gay marriage as the case is appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in
Richmond handed down its ruling on Monday and it was to take effect
21 days later.
(Related: Appeals
court strikes down Virginia's gay marriage ban.)
Michelle B. McQuigg, clerk of Prince
William County's Circuit Court, said in filing for the delay that it
would “ensure the orderly resolution of the important
constitutional question presented in this case while avoiding
uncertainty for the public and irreparable injury to the
commonwealth.”
McQuigg is represented by the Christian
conservative Alliance Defending Freedom, whose lawyers said in a
statement that Virginians are “free to preserve that understanding
of marriage in their laws.”
After its marriage ban was declared
unconstitutional by a federal appeals court in June, Utah said it
would appeal the case to the Supreme Court.