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San Francisco (AP)

Judge keeps California same-sex marriages on hold

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A federal judge put same-sex marriages on hold for at least another six days in California, disappointing dozens of same-sex couples who lined up outside City Hall hoping to tie the knot Thursday.

Judge Vaughn Walker gave opponents of same-sex weddings until Aug. 18 at 5 p.m. to get a ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on whether same-sex marriage should resume. Same-sex marriages could happen at that point or be put off indefinitely depending on how the court rules.

Walker struck down the state's voter-approved same-sex marriage ban last week in a case many believe is destined for the Supreme Court.

But he moved to suspend same-sex weddings until he could consider arguments from both sides on whether the marriages should be allowed during an appeal of his ruling. He now says same-sex marriage should resume, but he gave conservatives the extra time to get the appeals court to weigh in.

California voters passed Proposition 8 as a state constitutional amendment in November 2008, five months after the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex unions and an estimated 18,000 same-sex couples already had tied the knot.

Lawyers for same-sex couples, California Gov. Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown filed legal motions Friday asking that same-sex marriages be allowed to resume immediately.

Walker said on Thursday that ban proponents didn't convince him that anyone would be harmed by allowing same-sex marriages to resume.

"The evidence at trial showed, however, that Proposition 8 harms the state of California," Walker said.

Walker also turned aside arguments that marriages performed now could be thrown into legal chaos if Proposition 8 is later upheld by an appeals court.

Walker said such weddings would appear to be legal even if the ban is later reinstated. He pointed to the 18,000 same-sex couples who married legally in the five months that same-sex marriage was legal in California as proof.

Walker also said that no one can claim harm by allowing same-sex weddings to go forward, but banning them harms gays.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)