Ten states call for delay of Californian gay marriage

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • May 31, 2008 - 12:46

California's Supreme Court has legalised gay marriage

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The attorneys general of 10 US states have applied to the Californian Supreme Court to delay finalising its ruling to legalise gay marriage.

Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah all say that they need time to consider the status of their residents who marry in California. With the exception of Florida and New Hampshire, they all have a consitutional ban on gay marriage.

"We reasonably believe an inevitable result of such 'marriage tourism' will be a steep increase in litigation of the recognition issue in our courts," said Utah Attorney General Mark L Shurtleff in the application on behalf of the ten states.

New York Governor David Paterson earlier in the week said that his state would seek to recognise the marriages of citizens that are held in California.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown submitted a response saying: "The Court has declared the law governing the right of same-sex couples to marry, and the Attorney General undertakes to give effect to that declaration with no less vigour than he previously sought to give effect to the statutes in

A recent poll found that the majority of Californians, 51%, back gay marriage.

43% oppose same-sex marriages in the state.

Only 40% said they would back changing the state constitution to exclude gay and lesbian couples from marriage. 54% oppose a change, as does California’s Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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