The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a temporary halt to gay marriages in Alaska.
The federal appeals court in San Francisco issued the stay late Wednesday afternoon. It allows the state until Friday to get a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court.
If that stay isn’t issued, the federal court action dissolves at 11 a.m. Friday, when gay marriages will be allowed to go forward.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Burgess on Sunday struck down Alaska’s ban on same-sex marriages as unconstitutional.
Gay couples began applying for marriage certificates Monday, beginning a three-day clock to when ceremonies could be held on Thursday. However some couples received waivers from judges and have already married.
