Iowa Same-Sex Marriage Ruling On Hold

On Thursday, a judge in Polk County, Iowa issued a decision striking down an Iowa state law which declares that "only a marriage between a male and a female is valid," effectively opening the door for same-sex couples in the county to wed. On Friday, the Associated Press reported that "about 20 gay couples had finished applying for marriage licenses when Recorder Julie Haggerty announced she could no longer accept applications," because Judge Robert Hanson had formally stayed his ruling, meaning that no more same-sex marriage applications could be submitted until the Iowa Supreme Court rules on the county's appeal of Judge Hanson's Thursday decision. Reuters reports that "two Iowa State University students, Sean Fritz, 24, and Tim McQuillan, 21, beat the judge's stay and got their license, with a waiver bypassing the usual three-day waiting period."

• Thursday's Court Decision: Varnum v. Brien [PDF file] (Des Moines Register)
• AP/Google: 1 Gay Marriage, Then Judge Stays Ruling
• Reuters: Ruling Briefly Allows Gay Marriage in Iowa
• Same-Sex Couples and the Law (FindLaw)