Court: Gay marriage may begin in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal appeals court declared gay marriage legal in Idaho and Nevada on Tuesday and followed the ruling a few hours later with a mandate allowing the Idaho marriages to start immediately.

The mandate, issued Tuesday evening, means that same-sex couples in Idaho won’t have to wait for the standard 7-day time span for the ruling to take effect. The Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure typically provide the seven-day waiting period to give the losing side a chance to appeal.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that gay couples’ equal protection rights were violated by the bans in both states. But in Nevada a U.S. District Court judge still must issue a formal injunction overturning the state’s gay marriage ban.