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ACLU asks appeals court to overrule Utah on same-sex marriage recognition

Posted at 2:06 PM, Jun 06, 2014
and last updated 2014-06-06 17:21:25-04

SALT LAKE CITY — Lawyers for four gay couples suing the state of Utah for refusing to recognize their marriages have asked a federal appeals court to rule immediately.

In a filing with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, the ACLU of Utah asked for Utah’s request to halt same-sex marriage recognition to be rejected and the court to decide the issue immediately.

Read the ACLU’s filing here:

The Utah Attorney General’s Office had no comment on the filing.

The ACLU sued the state on behalf of four gay couples who married after a federal judge overturned Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage last year. More than 1,200 same-sex couples wed over 17 days, until the U.S. Supreme Court halted it pending appeal.

The couples sued after Governor Gary Herbert directed state agencies not to recognize the marriages. Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball ordered the state to recognize them and provide services to the married couples — ranging from adoptions to joint tax filings.

Late Thursday, the federal appeals court granted Utah a temporary stay, halting recognition of the marriages.

The 10th Circuit Court could rule any day now on whether to uphold or reject Amendment 3 itself.

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