Arkansas Will Appeal Gay Marriage Ruling

Arkansas lawyers are preparing to appeal a judge’s decision to overturn the state’s constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, the Associated Press reports.

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel told Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza Saturday that he would appeal Piazza’s Friday decision to the state Supreme Court.

In his ruling overturning the state’s 2004 amendment voted in by a wide margin of Arkansas voters, Piazza called it “an unconstitutional attempt to narrow the definition of equality.” Because Piazza did not issue a stay along with his ruling, Arkansas’ 75 county clerks had to decide for themselves whether to grant marriage licenses this weekend amid confusion over the ruling. Arkansas’ Carroll County, believed to be the only county which issued same-sex marriage licenses this weekend, issued 15 such permits as of Sunday morning.

“The court didn’t give us any time to get the kinks worked out,” said Chris Villines, the executive director of the Association of Arkansas Countries, of Piazza’s ruling.

[AP]