Federal appeals court blocks Idaho same-sex marriage ruling News
Federal appeals court blocks Idaho same-sex marriage ruling

[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] on Thursday temporarily stayed [order, PDF] an order finding Idaho’s same-sex marriage [JURIST backgrounder] ban unconstitutional. Judge Candy Dale of the US District Court for the District of Idaho [official website] struck down [JURIST] the laws on Tuesday, and the state immediately filed a motion to stay the ruling [text, PDF]. The Ninth Circuit issued a brief order granting the motion: “The district court’s May 13, 2014 order is temporarily stayed pending this court’s disposition of appellants’ emergency motions for a stay pending appeal.” The order means that the state does not have to recognize same-sex marriages during the appeals process.

Same-sex marriage bans are being challenged in state and federal courts across the US. On Monday five same-sex couples filed a lawsuit challenging Alaska’s same-sex marriage ban [JURIST report]. Last week a judge in Arkansas struck down [JURIST report] that state’s same-sex marriage ban. Also last week Indiana was ordered to recognize [JURIST report] an out-of-state same-sex marriage pending an appeal. A challenge is expected to South Dakota’s same-sex marriage ban, which would leave North Dakota and Montana as the only states [TIME report] whose same-sex marriage bans have not been challenged in court.