In a rapidly developing situation, there are reports that same-sex marriage licenses are being issued in South Carolina this morning in anticipation of same-sex marriages beginning on Thursday.
South Carolina had been the holdout state in the 4th Circuit as the only state not permitting same-sex marriages since the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional and the US Supreme Court denied a request to review that decision on October 6th. (The 4th Circuit is comprised of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.)
On November 12th, a federal judge in South Carolina ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional, but he put a hold on his ruling until November 20th, giving the SC attorney general time to appeal and seek a longer stay prohibiting same-sex marriages while the 4th Circuit reviewed the SC judge’s decision.
That request for a stay was denied late Tuesday by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. The SC attorney general then sought intervention by the US Supreme Court requesting that Court to enter a stay on same-sex marriages in SC until the lower court’s decision could be fully reviewed at the 4th Circuit. There are no reports that the Supreme Court has ruled on that application for a stay, yet.
For the latest updates and a discussion of the impact of marriage equality on your life, Sodoma Law invites you to come to our December 1st discussion panel, “Same-Sex Marriage: Planning Your Family’s Future In A Marriage Equality State.” The event is free and open to the public. Click here for further details.
