Marriage Equality Comes To Alaska
A temporary hold on the marriages that a federal appeals court granted on Wednesday expires on Friday.
Chris Geidner
As same-sex couples marry in North Carolina, similar weddings are on hold for now in Alaska. Davis Turner / Reuters
Update: (Oct. 17, 2014, at 3:02 p.m.)
The Supreme Court denied Alaska's request for a stay on Friday afternoon.
The move means that same-sex couples can secure marriage licenses immediately.
WASHINGTON — Alaska officials have asked the Supreme Court — specifically, Justice Anthony Kennedy — to put a trial court ruling that allows same-sex couples to marry on hold during the state's appeal of the ruling.
The filing followed a Wednesday night order from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals providing the state with a temporary hold on the marriages so that it could seek such a stay from the Supreme Court.
The 9th Circuit's temporary stay expires at noon PT Friday, meaning an order from the Supreme Court would need to come by 3 p.m. ET or same-sex couples would, again, be allowed to get marriage licenses in Alaska.
In the filing on Thursday, state officials said that they will be filing a request with the 9th Circuit next week asking the court to hear its appeal "en banc," meaning by the full court.
Read the filing to Justice Kennedy.