Utah to Ask Supreme Court to Halt Gay Marriages

Utah said today it will ask the Supreme Court to halt gay weddings in the state as it appeals a lower court's ruling that allows them to take place, reports the Guardian. The state's attorney general confirmed that his office will seek an emergency stay from the high court, but it needs a few more days. When it eventually gets filed, Justice Sonia Sotomayor will get first crack at it because she has jurisdiction over Utah appeals, reports CNN. She could either handle the state's request by herself or, more likely, ask the other justices to vote.

All of this comes in the wake of federal Judge Robert J. Shelby's ruling last week that the state's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. Since then, scores of same-sex couples have gotten married in Utah, and the state has failed twice to get lower courts to halt the marriages as it prepares its appeal. A handful of counties had refused to issue licenses, but all have agreed to comply with Shelby's ruling as of today, reports AP. (More Utah stories.)