SCOTUS denies cert in Louisiana gay-marriage case, takes no action on others
The U.S. Supreme Court denied cert today in a same-sex marriage case from Louisiana and took no action on four other cases in which a federal appeals court upheld gay-marriage bans.
In the Louisiana case, litigants had asked the Supreme Court to review a federal judge’s decision to uphold the state’s ban on gay marriage, even though the issue was still pending before the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, report SCOTUSblog, Reuters and USA Today.
The 5th Circuit heard arguments in the case on Friday. Gay couples had argued the Supreme Court should hear the case because of a “pressing need” to resolve the issue.
In the other cases, petitioners are seeking review of a decision by the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding bans on gay marriage in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. The 2-1 appellate decision in November created a circuit split.