WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has temporarily blocked an appeals court ruling that declared gay marriage legal in Idaho and Nevada.
The order came minutes after Idaho on Wednesday filed an emergency request for an immediate stay, and just one day after the court effectively legalized same-sex marriage in 30 other states. The state’s request said that without a stay, state and county officials would have been required to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples at 10 a.m. EDT.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declared gay marriage legal in Idaho and Nevada on Tuesday.
Kennedy’s order requested a response from the plaintiffs involved in Idaho’s gay marriage lawsuit by the end of day Thursday.