A South Carolina judge issued the first gay marriage licenses on Wednesday even though the state attorney general asked the United States Supreme Court to step in and block the marriages, according to TheState.com.
Six licenses were issued in the first 90 minutes the Charleston County Probate Court office was open, Reuters reported.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to put the order on hold and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson then asked Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court to block such marriages while the state appeals, according to TheState.com. The Supreme Court has the option to step in.
Last month, South Carolina continued to defend its same-sex marriage ban and was the only state in the circuit not permitting them, Reuters reported. On Wednesday, the state's high court lifted its stay.
Then, probate judges in two South Carolina counties began accepting applications for same-sex marriage licenses, the South Carolina Supreme Court quickly ordered that no licenses be issued before a decision in the Columbia case, according to Reuters.
Gay couples who want to get married in South Carolina have to apply for a license on Thursday and wait 24 hours for it to be issued, TheState.com reported.
Wilson said in a statement late Tuesday the issue has not been resolved nationally, according to TheState.com.
"This issue has not yet been resolved nationally. It is still likely the U.S. Supreme Court will address conflicting rulings between federal circuit courts of appeal," Wilson said, according to TheState.com. "Therefore, today's ruling by the 4th Circuit does not end the constitutional obligation of this office to defend S.C. law."
