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Dispatches from public radio's correspondent at the Oregon Legislature. This is a venue for political and policy coverage of the state government in Salem and its impact on the people of Oregon.

U.S. Supreme Court Won't Block Oregon Same-Sex Marriage

Daderot
/
Wikimedia

The U.S. Supreme Court won't block same-sex marriages in Oregon. The high court Wednesday turned down a request to halt gay marriages in the state.

The outcome is simple: Gay marriage remains legal in Oregon.

The back story is complicated, but basically goes like this: Four gay couples sued to overturn Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage. The state decided not to defend the law. A federal judge last month threw the law out, and same-sex couples started getting married immediately.

Then, a national group that's against gay marriage asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put the ruling on hold. They argued that their quest to intervene in the case is still pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

But the Supreme Court didn't buy that argument. In a one-sentence order, the justices refused to issue a stay.