Recognition of Utah Gay Marriages to Stay on Hold

Recognition of Utah Gay Marriages to Stay on Hold
SALT LAKE CITY June 6, 2014 (AP)
By BRADY McCOMBS Associated Press

More than 1,000 couples who rushed to wed after a judge overturned Utah's gay marriage ban will have to keep waiting for many of the legal benefits of being married following an appeals court decision Thursday.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted Utah's request to delay the implementation of a ruling that ordered state officials to start recognizing the marriages next week.

The Denver-based judges gave the four same-sex couples who sued Utah until next Thursday to file papers laying out why the order should be implemented. The court must next choose whether to lift or extend the temporary stay.

The 10th Circuit's ruling came less than a day after Gov. Gary Herbert and state Attorney General Sean Reyes, both Republicans, announced late Wednesday they would appeal a federal judge's May ruling. U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball had found the state's decision to freeze benefits was harming the couples.... MORE at http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/utah-appeals-decision-recognize-gay-marriages-24018275