US: Same-sex couples to begin marrying across Idaho today
Same-sex weddings are set to begin today across Idaho, after the state’s anti-gay marriage Governor conceded defeat.
Idaho’s constitutional same-sex marriage ban was struck down last week by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a twin ruling on bans in both Nevada and Idaho.
Though couples were immediately allowed to marry in the former, a stay was placed on the Idaho ruling – postponing marriages pending appeal.
However, Idaho’s Governor Butch Otter has since announced he will not appeal against the ruling, as the Supreme Court has already turned away a case from the 9th Circuit.
The stay is set to expire at 10am today, which would allow couples to marry across the state
Some couples have already married in Latah County, after a clerk found there was no lawful reason to prevent them from marrying – but it will be the first time equal marriage is recognised across the state.
It is the latest in a spate of equal marriage victories, after weddings began in Colorado, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Oklahoma and Nevada last week.
