Hopeful couples crowded courthouses in Idaho, and Las Vegas chapels had photographers get ready to capture two brides in white dresses while ordained Elvis impersonators practiced their lines. But before couples were able to make their unions official, Justice Anthony Kennedy issued a ruling that seemed to block gay marriage in both states with a temporary delay.
The news was delivered at 8:01 a.m. to a small crowd of gay couples and their supporters gathered in a Boise courthouse when Ada County Clerk Chris Rich handed the Supreme Court memo to a lawyer and said, "We're not issuing same-sex marriage licenses today."
The announcement left the room in stunned silence, except for a small child asking over and over, "Why?"
"We were past the metal detectors, we were just a few feet away from the clerk," said Amber Beierle. "And then our attorney was handed a one-page document. Apparently, it was Justice Kennedy telling us, No." It initially appeared that the ruling would apply to Nevada as well, but hours later a new memo from the Supreme Court clarified the decision, saying it applied only to Idaho because officials there challenged the 9th Circuit's decision but those in Nevada did not.