Judge's stay too late to halt men's marriage

[LiberalAndProud]

Two men tied the knot this morning in Des Moines, but the future of same-sex marriage in Iowa was put on hold shortly after the ceremony.



Sean Fritz, left, and Tim McQuillan show their wedding license before getting married Friday in Des Moines.The marriage came less than 24 hours after a judge overturned Iowa's ban on same-sex marriage. The judge later stayed his ruling, and the issue appears headed to the Iowa Supreme Court.

Only one gay couple - Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan, both students at Iowa State University - were able to wed before the judge stayed his ruling. Other gay couples will have to wait until the issue is resolved in the courts, even though they were granted marriage licenses Thursday and Friday.

The ruling by Polk County District Judge Robert Hanson puts Iowa squarely in the same-sex marriage debate that has roiled other states.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10120614

[OlderButWiser]

1. Just curious...

...is it common for a county judge to strike down an existing law as unconstitutional?