An Arkansas judge on Tuesday ordered [opinion, PDF] that 500 same-sex marriages performed in the state last year be recognized as valid. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen ordered the recognition of the marriages performed during a six-day window last year after another Arkansas court struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban but before the state’s highest court put that ruling on hold [JURIST reports]. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge [official website] responded [press release] that she does not believe the marriages fit the state’s definition and that she is “evaluating the ruling and will determine the best path forward to protect the State’s interest.”

Griffen’s order comes as the US Supreme Court is poised to rule on same-sex marriage by the end of this month. The court heard oral arguments [JURIST report] in Obergefell v. Hodges [SCOTUSblog materials] in April. Earlier this month the chief judge for the US District Court of Guam struck down [JURIST report] the territory’s same-sex marriage ban.