Judge Orders Prop 8 Case Closed

Interesting turn of events reported by Chris Geidner:

The trial court judge in California who has taken over hearing the federal court case challenging Proposition 8, the state's amendment limiting marriages to one man and one woman, ordered the case closed today — which would allow same-sex couples to marry in California. The order comes despite the fact that proponents of Proposition 8 have requested the Supreme Court to review the case because, Judge James Ware wrote today, all requests to stay the judgment in the case have been denied. The proponents made no request of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court to stay the case pending resolution by the Supreme Court.

What happens next is unclear. Could same-sex marriages resume in California before the Supreme Court even decides whether to hear the appeal of its overturn?

UPDATE: AFER spokesman Matt Baume tells me by email that today's "case closed" ruling was just "administrative housekeeping" and that we're still on standby regarding whether SCOTUS will hear the case. As you were...