California's Supreme Court late Friday refused an appeal by the state's top legal official to immediately order a halt to the city of San Francisco's defiant gay marriage blitz.
The court's refusal came after two San Francisco judges last week denied requests by conservative groups seeking emergency orders halting the marriages until the issue over whether state laws banning same-sex marriage are unconstitutional is settled.
The Supreme Court instead ordered San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his administration to show by March 5 why the top court should not halt the same-sex marriage blitz and defend his actions.
The decision was a response to Attorney General Bill Lockyer's petition seeking an immediate halt to the marriages and the invalidation of the more than 3,000 gay unions sanctioned by the city since February 12.
Newsom two weeks ago ordered officials to begin issuing marriage licences to same-sex couples in an open challenge to state laws barring the politically-explosive practice.
Comments
Comments are closed.