Courts won't block marriage equality in Oregon

The Supreme Court will not block same-sex marriages in Oregon, Justice Anthony Kennedy decided Wednesday.

The decision means same-sex marriages will stand even as a potential challenge from the National Organization for Marriage works through the appeals process. NOM, which opposes same-sex marriages, is trying to intervene in the lawsuit challenging the state's same-sex marriage ban.

After a federal court's decision to allow same-sex marriages in Oregon, state officials announced they will not appeal. NOM has been trying to fill the void by intervening on behalf of its Oregon members. But so far a trial court refused to let NOM intervene, and higher courts have refused to put Oregon's same-sex marriages on hold as NOM's challenge works through the court system.

LGBT advocates largely expected Wednesday's order. They argue that NOM has no standing in the same-sex marriage cases. So if state officials decide not to appeal, same-sex marriages will remain in Oregon for the foreseeable future — unless a higher court, like the Supreme Court, steps in.

Further reading

• A complete victory for marriage equality could be a year away
• Court strikes down Oregon's same-sex marriage ban
• Marriage equality's 10-year journey, in one stunning GIF
• National Organization for Marriage asks Supreme Court to stop Oregon same-sex marriages

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