State Attorney Urges Immediate Lift of Stay on Same-Sex Marriages

State Attorney General Kamala Harris on Wednesday urged a federal appeals court to immediately lift a stay it issued on same-sex marriages, in light of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling clearing the way for the unions to resume in California.

"I'm also calling on the 9th Circuit today to urge them in the strongest terms that they lift the stay and enforce the permanent injunction that Vaughn Walker outlined.

"We have outlined in the many briefs that we have filed before the various courts of this land, including the United States Supreme Court, that each day is not equal when it comes to individuals' civil liberties and civil rights," Harris said during a Los Angeles news conference. "Each day that passes when any individual is denied their civil liberties and civil rights is a sad day in our country and certainly in our state.

"And we know that these same-sex couples have been denied equal protection under the law for far too long and each one of those days that has passed has been a day that a family member who may have enjoyed and participated in a wedding ceremony may have passed away," she said. "Each day that has passed is a day that a baby may have been born, and that California child then is in a situation where they don't have the full dignity that other children have when they look up and they ask why can't my mommies or daddies be married also.

"We cannot delay or deny individuals their civil rights," she said.

Despite Harris' request, however, the stay on same-sex marriages likely will not be lifted for at least 25 days. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeal acknowledged receiving the Supreme Court's ruling, but noted that the law provides for a 25-day period during which proponents of Proposition 8 could request a rehearing before the nation's highest court.