Court allows Washington, DC, same-sex marriages

WASHINGTON
Tue Mar 2, 2010

(Reuters) - Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court rejected on Tuesday a request from opponents of gay marriage to put on hold a new law that allows same-sex couples to wed in Washington, D.C.

Roberts acted right before the law takes effect on Wednesday. In December, the city council adopted a measure which adds the nation's capital to the five states that already allow same-sex marriage.

Opponents of gay marriage argued there should be a public referendum on the law, which expands the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, before it takes effect.

Roberts refused to put the law on hold and said the local Board of Elections, the city's superior court and its court of appeals all had rejected the request for a referendum. the rest