Prop. 8 Stay May Be Lifted Today, West Hollywood Ready to Marry Gay Couples

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker will issue a ruling today on whether or not he will continue a stay on his Proposition 8 decision, which found the anti-gay marriage ballot measure to be unconstitutional.

If Walker lifts the stay, gay and lesbian couples could marry as soon as the decision is handed down. Los Angeles County and West Hollywood officials are already gearing up for such a possibility.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown filed briefs with Walker last week, asking the judge to lift the stay.

The ruling is expected to come between 9 a.m. and 12 noon, according to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which organized and helped fund the lawsuit that overturned Proposition 8.

West Hollywood officials have said that if the stay is lifted, they plan to marry couples as soon as possible. West Hollywood City Council members have already been deputized to officiate over weddings, and couples will need to make appointments with the city clerk's office.

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Redress said:

As pretty much every one here knows, I strongly favor gay marriage. However, I think lifting the stay would be a mistake. Let the legislative process work, and then do the marriages. It's a step by step process.

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This just in: San Francisco Federal Judge Vaughn Walker on Thursday lifted the stay on his ruling from last week, in which he found that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

One caveat: Walker extended a temporary stay until August 18, in order to give Proposition 8 supporters — and the defendants in the case — time to appeal the ruling to the Ninth Circuit. So gay marriage cannot yet resume in the Golden State. Click here for the LA Times article.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown had urged Walker to permit same-sex marriages to resume, arguing the state was well-equipped to handle them.

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