AUSTRALIA: Gays Get Five-Day Window To Marry In Capital Before Court Ruling

Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Australia's capital this weekend and today the High Court announced that it will not rule on the federal government's bid to quash the law until next Thursday. That provides a five-day window for marriages to take place.

The court's six judges heard the case today and announced that they would deliver their ruling on December 12. The first weddings are scheduled to take place in Canberra on Saturday, the first opportunity under the legal conditions. The federal government's lawyer, Justin Gleeson, told the court that having differing marriage laws in various Australian states and territories would create confusion. The ACT government argues that its same-sex marriage laws should stand because they govern couples outside the federal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. Ivan Hinton and Chris Teoh, who attended the court hearing, plan to marry on Saturday. Mr Hinton said he knew of at least 12 other same-sex couples who planned to do the same.