"Conservative religious and legal groups had asked the [. . .] Court to stop its May 15 order requiring state and local officials to sanction same-sex unions from becoming effective until voters have the chance to consider the issue in November," says a report from Associated Press. "The justices' decisions typically become final after 30 days."
California's voters get a chance to make their views known in a ballot on 4 November. It could overrule the court's decision by amending the state constitution to limit marriage to the heterosexual variety.
The AP story points out:
The four justices who denied the stay request were the same judges who joined in the majority opinion that found withholding marriage from same-sex couples constituted discrimination. The three dissenting justices said they thought a hearing on whether the stay should be granted was warranted.
The majority did not elaborate on its reasons for denying the stay, but simply issued a one-page order saying its original ruling on marriage would be final at 5 p.m. on June 16.
For the moment, gay couples in the nation's most populous state can get married starting 17 June, when counties must start issuing new gender-neutral marriage licences.
