US: West Virginia couples ask judge to lift same-sex marriage stay

Three same-sex couples challenging West Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban are asking a judge to lift a stay put in place pending the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals decision on Virginia’s marriage ban case.

The federal appeals court struck down Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban last week in a ruling that impacts Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey asked a district judge to extend the stay and postpone ruling on West Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban until the US Supreme Court takes up the issue.

The following day, Lambda Legal asked a district judge to lift the stay on behalf of the three couples challenging the state’s ban.

Karen Loewy, Lambda Legal senior attorney, said in a release: “By moving to extend the stay, the government is making a last ditch effort to delay the freedom to marry in West Virginia.

“Families in West Virginia should not be asked to wait even one more day for the court to consider the discrimination they are experiencing.

“It is intolerable that the Attorney General continues to stand in the way of equality.”

• Nov 29 2023

56 celebrities you didn’t know are gay, bisexual or lesbian