cityXtra Magazine

Fourth Circuit Declines Stay in Virgina Gay Marriage

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A federal appeals court on a 2-1 vote Wednesday denied a request by a county clerk to delay implementation of its ruling striking down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriages. 

The action by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond could allow same-sex couples to wed in the state beginning next Wednesday, unless the Supreme Court opts to intervene. 

Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk Michèle McQuigg had asked the appeals court to stay its ruling while she sought a review of the case by the nation's high court.

Late last month, the 4th Circuit ruled that Virginia's prohibition of gay marriages, approved by voters in 2006, violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution.