Texas' gay marriage ban will remain in effect for now. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia declined today to permit immediate same-sex marriages in Texas.
In February, Judge Orlando Garcia ruled Texas’ same-sex marriage ban violated the U.S. Constitution’s promise of equal treatment under the law, but placed a hold that prevented same-sex couples from immediately getting married. Today, Judge Garcia declined a request to lift that stay on marriages, citing an impending appeal in the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
"Everyone hoped that Judge Garcia would have ruled in favor of same-sex marriages," says Texas for Marriage State Director Ward Curtin. "In legal theory, it’s a procedural speed bump, but in practical reality thousands of Texans families are affected by these decisions.”
The Fifth Circuit Court in New Orleans is expected to hear the marriage case pertaining to Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi on Jan. 9.
Below, you can read the full transcript of Garcia's decision.
