US SC allows gay marriage in 5 states
8 Oct 2014 5:11 AM IST
The move was a major surprise and suggests that the justices are not going to intercede in the wave of decisions in favor of same-sex marriage at least until a federal appeals court upholds a state ban.
The move will immediately increase the number of states allowing same-sex marriage from 19 to 24.
The justices had earlier acted to stop same-sex marriages in Utah and Virginia, issuing stays to block appeals court rulings allowing them. Other appeals court decisions had been stayed by the appeals courts. The all but universal consensus from observers of the SC had been that the stays issued by the justices indicated that the justices wanted the last word before federal courts transformed the landscape for same-sex marriage.
The move will immediately increase the number of states allowing same-sex marriage from 19 to 24.
The justices had earlier acted to stop same-sex marriages in Utah and Virginia, issuing stays to block appeals court rulings allowing them. Other appeals court decisions had been stayed by the appeals courts. The all but universal consensus from observers of the SC had been that the stays issued by the justices indicated that the justices wanted the last word before federal courts transformed the landscape for same-sex marriage.
Next Story
