Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Gay Marriage In Idaho, Nevada

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has temporarily blocked Tuesday's appeals court decision that struck down bans on same-sex marriage in Idaho and Nevada.

Officials in Idaho had filed a last-minute appeal to the Supreme Court following Tuesday's appeals court decision. In his order, Kennedy gave lawyers representing same-sex couples until 5 p.m. Thursday to respond to the appeal.

"The order means that gay and lesbian couples will not be able to obtain marriage licenses in that state in the meantime," Lyle Denniston of SCOTUSblog notes.

The Associated Press adds that the order also applies to Nevada.

As we reported Tuesday, the appeals court ruling itself came a day after the Supreme Court gave tacit approval to similar decisions by three other circuit courts. The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of those rulings, thereby making same-sex marriage legal in 11 states. Gay marriage is now permitted in 30 U.S. states.

The AP adds that the delay in Idaho and Nevada could last just a few days, but if it were to last longer than the weekend the full court would very likely weigh in. "That has been the justices' practice in other cases in which a single justice initially blocked a ruling from taking effect," the news service says.

Our friends at Boise State Public Radio are live-blogging the story. Please visit them for more updates and reactions.