MOSCOW, October 16 (RIA Novosti) — Since the US Supreme Court rejected the appeal from five American states seeking to prohibit same-sex marriage, a “flurry of gay marriage developments” has begun in the United States.
"It's been more than a week since a flurry of gay marriage developments began with the Supreme Court's denial of appeals from five states, allowing for expansion of marriage rights. Shortly afterward, a federal court in the West struck down bans in Idaho and Nevada," the Associated Press reports.
Meanwhile, same-sex marriage has been temporarily halted in Alaska on Wednesday, October 15, in accordance with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling.
"Judge Timothy Burgess of the US District Court for Alaska on Sunday ruled the state's ban on same-sex marriage, which was approved by voters in 1998, was unconstitutional," Reuters notes.
Will the ban set to dissolve on Friday at noon, gay marriages will ultimately become legal in the state.
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that same-sex couples have begun to wed in Idaho, one of America's most conservative states. More than 100 gay couples have married in Boise, the state's capital.
"It's been such a long time coming. It's a historic day for Boise and Idaho," Councilwoman Maryanne Jordan said, as cited by the Associated Press.
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter says he will not cease defending ‘traditional’ marriage, referring to Idaho's 2006 constitutional amendment that describes marriage as "between one man and one woman."
"I'm not going to give up on it. I'm going to keep on defending it," he claimed.
In Nevada, gay wedding opponents sent a request to the 9th Circuit Court on Monday, October 13, claiming "bias by a three-judge panel of the court" that had led to the abolishment of a 2002 Nevada constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Activists insist that the judges were "favorably disposed to arguments for expanding the rights of gay men and lesbians."
In North Carolina, magistrates have been ordered to register same-sex marriages under the threat of dismissal, after incidents of refusal occurred in Pasquotank and Alamance county.
Reuters claims "the back-and-forth federal court actions could soon see legal same-sex marriage extended to 35 states."
