Virginia Same-Sex Marriage Update

An appeals court has ruled that same-sex couples in Virgina can start getting married a week from today, unless the Supreme Court intervenes:

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals clarified today that same-sex couples in Virginia may get married beginning next Thursday—Aug. 21, at 8 a.m.—unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes and puts a hold on the ruling.

The court on Wednesday denied a motion by one of the defendants in a federal case seeking to overturn Virginia's same-sex marriage ban to stay its ruling from last month which found the ban unconstitutional.

In a 2-1 decision, the three-judge panel had agreed with a lower court to strike down the 2006 amendment to the state Constitution that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

The appellate court's decision was to go into effect 21 days following its ruling, barring the defendant's motion to appeal.

So, it's not totally good news, because there's a chance the Supreme Court may grant the appeal to stay the ruling, choosing instead to defer marriage in Virginia until the Supreme Court takes up the issue of same-sex marriage nationally.

Which will hopefully be soon, irrespective of whether they stay this appellate ruling, because there are a lot of people in a lot of states waiting for this shit to get resolved. We are long overdue for a federal ruling that declares same-sex marriage a constitutional right, and I am desperately hoping that SCOTUS will show up and make it so ASAP.