Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) announced Monday that, in light of the Supreme Court’s decision not to grant certiorari to an appeal seeking to preserve the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriages, same-sex couples should be able to begin marrying “later today.”
In a series of Tweets, Herring — who refused to defend the state’s ban — promised to make sure all of the state’s government officials know how to implement the ruling:
After a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in July that the state’s ban violated the constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection of the laws, the Supreme Court stayed the ruling so it could consider a possible appeal. The high court’s order said: “Should the petition for a writ of certiorari be denied, this stay shall terminate automatically.”
Update:
Herring said Monday that marriages can begin at 1 PM: