June 9, 2014
Federal Judge to Mull Wisconsin Gay Marriage Hold
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A federal judge has scheduled a hearing on the Wisconsin attorney general's request to put gay marriages on hold in the state.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb scheduled the hearing for 1 p.m. Monday. It's in response to an emergency request filed Friday night from Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.
Crabb ruled Friday that the state's ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, leading clerks in Milwaukee and Madison to start issuing licenses to gay couples.
But Van Hollen believes that is premature given that Crabb's ruling didn't specifically tell county and state officials whether they could issue licenses.
Van Hollen is also expected to seek an emergency stay of Crabb's order in federal appeals court.