US appeals court lifts hold on California same-sex marriages; they can start immediately

SAN FRANCISCO – A U.S. appeals court says it is lifting its freeze on same-sex marriages in California, and the state is required to issue licenses to gay couples starting immediately.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order Friday saying it’s lifting the stay it imposed while a lawsuit challenging the state’s gay marriage ban worked its way through the courts.

Same-sex marriages can resume in the state for the first time since 2008.

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the sponsors of California’s voter-approved gay marriage ban lacked the authority to defend it in court once the governor and state attorney general refused to do so.

That decision lets stand a trial judge’s declaration that the ban violates the civil rights of gay Californians and cannot be enforced.