US: Virginia same-sex marriage appeal ruling expected soon
A federal appeals court is expected to rule on Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban soon.
Judge Arenda Wright Allen first struck down a law banning same-sex marriage in the state in February, but delayed enforcement of the ruling while it is appealed.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the appeals court’s ruling is expected to be announced in the case in the next few days, if the case is to follow similar ones elsewhere.
It could impact not only the case in Virginia, but also North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Utah’s same-sex marriage ban last month, the first of a wave of Appeals Courts rulings anticipated in the next few months.
The 10th Circuit covers Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming, with a county clerk in Colorado opting to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples following the ruling.
Adam Umhoefer of the American Foundation for Equal Rights – which is bringing the Virginia case – said the 10th Court decision was a good sign.
He said: “We are confident the 4th Circuit will reach the same conclusion.”
