It appears that Utah is not content to let marriage equality stand after all. As BuzzFeed reports, acting Utah Attorney General Brian Tarbet released a statement announcing the state is requesting an emergency stay of Judge Robert J. Shelby's decision from earlier today that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage:
“The federal district court's ruling that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right has never been established in any previous case in the 10th Circuit. The state is requesting an emergency stay pending the filing of an appeal…The Attorney General's Office will continue reviewing the ruling in detail until an appeal is filed to support the constitutional amendment passed by the citizens of Utah….
With no stay issued immediately to keep the ruling from going into effect, however, the court's order in the case would go into effect immediately. And, at least one couple in Salt Lake City did get married on Friday.
According to KSL-TV, “District Attorney Sim Gill said that he has advised clerks to proceed with the marriages, saying ‘As of right now, if somebody gets in line and applies, there is no prohibition against it as a matter of law.'”
There are also unconfirmed reports corroborating DA Sim Gill's statement, suggesting that anyone in line by 5PM today will be married.
The announcement from the AG comes on the heels of Governor Gary R. Herbert's earlier remarks that expressed his "disappointment" over the ruling. Though he did state he planned to confer with legal counsel on the matter, it did not appear that a request for a stay would be imminent.