Wisconsin judge puts same-sex marriages on hold pending attorney general’s appeal

MADISON, Wis. – Same-sex marriages have been put on hold in Wisconsin by a federal judge who last week struck down the state’s gay marriage ban as unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb’s ruling Friday means that gay marriages, which have been taking place across the state for a week, will end while the case is pending.

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen requested that Crabb’s ruling be put on hold. Crabb last week declared the state’s ban unconstitutional but did not tell the state how to proceed. On Friday she issued an order saying the weddings are legal, but then put it on hold per Van Hollen’s request.

All but 12 of Wisconsin’s 72 county clerks began issuing licenses to same-sex couples after Crabb’s ruling last week, even though Van Hollen had argued that was premature.