clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Courts won't block marriage equality in Oregon

Craig Mitchelldyer / Getty Images News

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

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for Vox Recommends

Get curated picks of the best Vox journalism to read, watch, and listen to every week, from our editors.