Pa. clerk asks Supreme Court to halt gay marriage
A Pennsylvania county clerk has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to suspend a federal ruling that allows gay couples to marry in the state.
Schuylkill County Orphans Court Clerk Theresa Santai-Gaffney filed the request for a stay on Monday.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Pennsylvania since U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III struck down a state ban on May 20.
Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration declined to appeal Jones’ decision. But Santai-Gaffney wants Pennsylvania to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses while she appeals the ruling.
So far, Santai-Gaffney’s efforts to intervene have been rebuffed by Jones and a federal appellate court. Now, she has appealed to the Supreme Court.
Pennsylvania was the last northeastern state to ban same-sex marriage.
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