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 U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl struck down Wyoming's gay
marriage ban last week, finding that it violated the U.S.
Constitution, but stayed his ruling until Thursday, or sooner if the
state indicated that it would not file an appeal.
"After reviewing the law and the judge's decision that binding
precedent requires recognition of same-sex marriage, I have
concluded that further legal process will result in delay but not a
different result," Wyoming Attorney General Peter Michael said in a
statement.
Michael said that the nuptials can begin immediately after the state
files a formal notice with the court stating that it would not seek
that appeal. The move will bring to 32 the number of states that
allow gay marriage.
 "The Laramie County Clerk will be required to provide marriage
licenses to otherwise qualified individuals without regard to
whether the applicants are a same-sex couple," he said, adding that
he anticipated that other counties would also provide marriage
licenses to gay couples.
Wyoming Governor Matt Mead has said that while the decision went
against his personal beliefs the state would not take up the appeal
as such an effort would likely fail.
The U.S. Supreme Court surprised observers this month by leaving
intact lower court rulings that struck down gay marriage in five
states. A day later, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found gay
marriage bans in Idaho and Nevada were unconstitutional.
On Monday, two same-sex couples filed a federal challenge to
Mississippi's gay marriage ban, the first lawsuit of its kind in the
mostly rural, Christian-conservative state.
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Rebecca Bickett and her long-term partner Andrea Sanders want to get
married in Mississippi, the lawsuit says, while Jocelyn Pritchett
and her partner Carla Webb were wed in Maine and want their union
recognized.
Defendants include Republican Governor Phil Bryant, Democratic state
Attorney General Jim Hood, and Hinds County Circuit Clerk Barbara
Dunn, who has denied gay couples' requests for marriage licenses.
"I took an oath to uphold the law and the constitution, and that’s
what I have to do,” Dunn said in response to the lawsuit.
Bryant and Hood could not be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by
Emily Le Coz in Jackson, Mississippi; Editing by Cynthia Johnston,
Sandra Maler, Eric Walsh and Jim Loney)
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