Without explanation, the U.S. court of appeals for the ninth circuit has granted a stay in the Proposition 8 case, yet again putting off marriage rights for same-sex couples seeking to wed in California.
Though the three-judge panel granted Prop. 8 supporters the stay it had Proposition 8 supporters a stay in the case but grant expedited arguments, scheduled for the week of December 6.
Chad Griffin, copresident of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which organized the legal challenge to the 2008 ballot measure, said his team will not appeal the ninth circuit's decision on the stay to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Today’s order from the ninth circuit for an expedited hearing schedule ensures that we will triumph over Prop. 8 as quickly as possible," Griffin said in a Monday statement. "This case is about fundamental constitutional rights and we at the American Foundation for Equal Rights, our Plaintiffs and our attorneys are ready to take this case all the way through the appeals courts to the United States Supreme Court.”
Jennifer Pizer, Marriage Project Director for Lambda Legal, said that the ninth circuit's two-page ruling should not be read as a "substantive disagreement" with the merits of the case. "What this indicates is that the ninth circuit is going to give this methodical consideration. They see the weight of the issues and have not disagreed with any of Judge Walker's anaylsis."
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