Oklahomans have been waiting for the Oklahoma Court of Appeals to rule on whether to uphold the state’s marriage equality law, but the state is still fighting to keep the ruling from going into effect.
Oklahoma Gov.
Mary Fallin (R) and Attorney General Scott Pruitt have said they intend to appeal the court’s ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, Oklahoma City-based attorney Paul P. Kasten, who represents the state in the case, filed a motion with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office seeking to halt the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Kasten argued that the state has a right to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, which the Supreme Court said in 2015 in Obergefell v.
Hodges that should apply to marriage in the state.
Pruitt has said he supports allowing Oklahoms to choose their own definition of marriage, but he has said that any changes to the definition of “marriage” would have to be approved by the state legislature.
Oklahomians were shocked last week when the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill that would have legalized same-gender marriage and the state Senate passed a similar bill on Monday, but it is unclear how that legislation will be implemented.
The U.K. has allowed same-seating in some states, but not all, but most states do not recognize same-pleasure marriages.
Okla.
Gov.
Mike Pence, who is not gay, announced his decision to join the battle against marriage equality last month.
