This past Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear seven (7) Petitions seeking review of rulings that struck down gay marriage bans in five (5) states. The move suggested that SCOTUS was not going to insert itself in the wave of decisions favoring same-sex marriages.
Then on Tuesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that same-sex marriage bans in Idaho and Nevada were unconstitutional. The Court found that the bans violated the rights of same-sex couple’s equal protection under the law.
On Wednesday morning, however, it was announced that the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy had issued an emergency stay of the ruling. This stay now precludes Idaho from issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
Speculation now lingers as to what will happen next and whether SCOTUS will indeed address the legality of same-sex marriages. For those of us practicing Family Law, it is a case of wait and see.
Lehigh Valley Family Law is a publication of the KingSpry Family Law Practice Group. It is meant to be informational and does not constitute legal advice. Our editor-in-chief is Donald F. Spry, II.
