Gay marriages in California on hold

A federal judge on Thursday put gay marriages on hold for at least another six days in California, raising hopes among same-sex couples that they soon will be able to tie the knot after years of agonizing delays.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker gave opponents of same-sexmarriage until Aug. 18 at 5 p.m. PT to get a ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on whether gay marriages should be allowed to proceed during the period that a revoking of the ban against them is being appealed.

Depending on how the appeals court rules, gay marriages could resume Aug. 18 or be put off indefinitely.

Walker struck down the state's voter-approved gay marriage ban last week in a case many believe is destined for the Supreme Court.

But he moved to suspend gay weddings until he could consider arguments from both sides on whether the marriages should be allowedwhile the appealproceeds through the courts.

He now says gay marriages should resume, but he gave conservatives the extra time to get the appeals court to weigh in.

California voters passed Proposition 8 banning gay marriage as a constitutional amendment in November 2008, five months after the state Supreme Court legalized same-sex unions and an estimated 18,000 same-sex couples already had tied the knot.

Lawyersrepresenting gay couples, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown filed legal motions Friday asking that same-sex marriages be allowed to resume immediately.