A federal appeals court has granted a stay on a lower court ruling striking down Indiana's same-sex marriage ban ahead of a planned appeal.
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller was granted a stay by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear an appeal of a ruling Wednesday of the U.S. District Court. Wednesday's decision found the ban unconstitutional.
Since the earlier ruling, some Indiana officials had begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Friday's decision puts gay marriages on hold.
In his ruling, District Judge Richard Young wrote: "Same-sex couples, who would otherwise qualify to marry in Indiana, have the right to marry in Indiana. ... These couples, when gender and sexual orientation are taken away, are in all respects like the family down the street. The Constitution demands that we treat them as such."
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